Legacy of the Popcorn Fairy: Danger Uprising
by The Popcorn Fairy
Summary: Minusions, vampires, and a heartbreaking kidnapping. My challenges have only begun. As relationships are formed and strained, I find my duties as the Popcorn Fairy all the more serious.
1. Life Goes On, Unfortunately

**Legacy of the Popcorn Fairy Book 2: Danger Uprising**

_God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him._

_-James 1:12 NLT_

**Chapter 1: Life Goes On… Unfortunately**

Deep within the underground tunnels hidden beneath Peach Creek, a Minusion Adjunct rushed through the panicked traffic with obvious annoyance. The situation was bad enough as it was, but Enola didn't need any more frustration, considering the report he was about to deliver to the King. No one wanted to be the bearer of bad news when it came to King Minusion.

Pushing his way through the other Minusions, all of which were going the opposite direction he was, Enola finally made his way to the heart of their underground hideout, affectionately referred to as the "throne room". Once he was out of the crowd, he slowed down, the frustration gone and the weight of his assignment returning. Slowly, one paw at a time, he pushed himself into the wide, crystal-lined cavern where, in the corner, his leader was facing the wall away from him.

"_Um… S-Sir…?_"

"_What do you want?_" the King's sonar rang darkly.

Enola moved closer and attempted to ease the tension. "_You… don't quite look like yourself, s-_"

"_I _know_ I don't look like myself, you simpleton!_"

"_With all due respect, sir, that's not what I meant…_" Knowing nothing would make this any easier, he got to the point. "_Sir, are you aware of the outcome of the battle at Peach Creek High School?_"

"_Of course I am! I saw the whole thing!_" That horrid sonar echoed off the rock walls and the King whirled around towards the Adjunct, his glowing scowl burning into his underling's subconscious.

"_Well…_" Enola struggled to regain his composure. "_Now that one of our Queens has been eliminated… considering that heavy loss, many of us in the higher ranks have been questioning new strategies. After all, if the Blue Star successor really is as strong as she seems to be, we'll need as many numbers as possible!_" He quickly turned away in anticipation of another insult.

But when it didn't come, he looked back up, finding the King in a much more thoughtful state. "_Yes… Perhaps a change of plans is in order._" He paused, thinking for a moment. "_Spread out; cover more ground on the surface. Send out more troops at a time, though stay lenient in how many are sent; we'll need time to rebuild our army._" After another pause, he thought of something else. "_And send Adjuncts along to observe the fights. Have them report back any useful information on her fighting styles._"

When the King turned away again, Enola bowed and hummed a quiet, "_Yes, sir._" Then he turned and ran out of the throne room, holding in his relief and ready to alert the others.

Alone once again, the King reached out and gingerly touched one of the many unique patterns etched into the cave wall, one that bore a close resemblance to a certain teenage girl.

"_I'd like to know more about this… 'Natalie'._"

* * *

><p>My worst nightmare had come true: I was popular.<p>

Not 'popular' in the stereotypical sense, constantly craving attention, doing anything to make things go my way or anything like that. Just popular in the sense that nobody seemed to _leave me alone _anymore!

Ever since the entire student body at Peach Creek High learned about my true identity, I had been bombarded with constant signs of gratitude from the others. And as much as I appreciated it, I specifically remembered and constantly had to remind everyone I talked to that on the night I defeated the Queen Minusion at the football field that I wanted to be treated like a normal person during our day-to-day events. But no, I was always the big hero, and everyone in school knew it.

I'm not sure how anyone else would've reacted to the kind of attention I was receiving, but the only thing I could think to do was avoid everyone, just as I had done for so many years. I even stopped sitting with the Eds at lunch until they agreed not to treat me with an overdose of respect (something Eddy didn't need to be told twice). I never wanted to be some big icon among the students; I never _asked _to be a hero. But as the eighth successor of the Blue Star, I had my duties to accomplish, something that no one would let me forget.

Months had passed since that night when my secret went loose, and in those few months, I found comfort mainly in two ways: in the solitude of my own home, where no one knew about my powers, and in the company of my boyfriend, Mutt Kanker. Considering the guy had stood by me since my crazy misadventure began, it was safe to say that I depended on him a lot. He calmed me down, gave me advice, and even helped me fight Minusions in his Star Wolf form, something we had to do very, _very_ often ever since the Minusions upped the ante on us.

After what felt like weeks of this never-ending cycle, spring break had arrived. Mutt had long since obtained his driver's license, and I usually opted to riding home with him. I believe it was that Thursday before the break when things started to take an unexpected turn.

Mutt was driving me home from school and we had engaged in a conversation about our Easter plans. His family was coming to church with us, then we were going to spend the rest of the day with our families.

"Boy, that sounds fun for you," I chuckled sarcastically, considering Mutt would be spending the day with his abrasive cousins.

"Tell me about it," he mumbled back. "On the up side, the girls have barely touched me ever since my transformation."

"That's good." I stared out the window and leaned my head back. "You doing anything tonight?"

"Yeah, actually, my parents are taking me to this seminar at a college up north."

"You're already looking into colleges?"

"Why not?" He turned onto our street and asked, "Why, did you wanna hang out?"

"Yeah, but it's fine. I don't mind having a quiet night." I grabbed by backpack out of the back seat as Mutt pulled into my driveway.

Once the truck came to a stop, Mutt gave me that sideways smile of his. "I'll see you Sunday, if not sooner."

I gave him a quick kiss and a simple, "See ya," before climbing out and running around to the garage door keypad.

After Mutt left and Jared came home, I took about a half hour break from my long day, then I decided to ride my bike down to the post office. Sure, I could've very easily flown there, but it had been a while since I rode my bike, so I told Jared what I was doing, grabbed a plastic bag and our mailbox key, strapped on my helmet and took off in an instant.

I had to admit that it was a nice change that I really needed. The fresh air, the relaxing atmosphere… I hardly had the opportunity to enjoy the outside world with Minusions striking every other minute. So, obviously, I really let the moment soak in, taking my time as I pedaled through Peach Creek, waving to other townsfolk as I passed them by. I also happened to notice my dad's truck parked outside the volunteer fire department station, meaning he must've been on a fire call. For some reason, that made me smile; nice to know I wasn't the only person in town saving lives.

I had just reached the bottom of the incline that leads to downtown when a certain someone passed me by. It was Peach Creek's young, newly-elected mayor, Tybalt Dengen, who greeted me with a polite, "Good afternoon, Natalie."

"'Afternoon, sir."

Three seconds after I said that, I put the brakes on and looked back at him. I hadn't seen Dengen since the night of the Queen Minusion attack; he had been giving a speech when the Minusion came and destroyed the podium he was on. My friend Shane later told me that he had disappeared without a trace after that, and the next time I heard of him, he seemed well, as though nothing had ever happened.

And now that I was alone with him, I figured I might as well clear that question out of my head.

"Excuse me, sir…"

Dengen stopped walking and turned back to me, offering a smile. "Yes, what is it?"

"The, uh… A few months ago, on the night the M- that thing attacked the football stadium, what happened to you?"

He paused and pondered my question. "Well, after I was knocked over, I simply made my escape amidst the ensuing chaos."

"Forgive me if this sounds rude, but if you had the strength to save yourself, why did you just abandon the students?"

"I didn't. Didn't anyone tell you who opened the gates to let the students out?"

I was about to respond to that, but quickly found myself off guard. "Oh… No. I didn't even ask."

Dengen smiled again and nodded once. "I simply did behind-the-scenes work, in a manner of speaking. And what were _you_ doing?"

"Just… making sure everyone was safe…" (in a manner of speaking.)

Silence fell for a moment while I thought to myself. I realized that I didn't know much about Dengen, never taking the opportunity to learn more about him. He seemed like a noble person… kind, honest, well-spoken… but I wasn't able to completely convince myself. Despite his confidence and charisma, there was just something about him and those amber eyes of his that seemed to look straight through me.

And the more I thought about it, the stronger the uncomfortable buzz in my head became. Something was setting the Blue Star off, sending hot jolts through my nerves and eyes.

Dengen obviously sensed my discomfort. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" I moaned, turning away for fear that my eyes might literally catch fire at any minute.

"Well, if you're sure, and if you don't have any more questions…"

"Just one more," I cut in, keeping my gaze on the street. "Why do I get so nervous around you?"

His head tilted ever so slightly. "I honestly think that's more of a question you should ask yourself."

I let out a long sigh. "Sorry. M-Maybe you're right." After shaking myself off, I straitened my bike up and started to ride away. "Thank you, sir. Have a nice day."

"You too."

With that, I sped away, not stopping until I reached the post office. To put it simply, I was relieved to get away from him. I just didn't understand what it was about Dengen that set me off so much. Sure, I had never been good with confrontation, but this was… something else.

As I walked into the post office, I also happened to notice that the Blue Star had calmed down, something else that got me thinking. The star always let me know when danger was near, but very rarely did it have these episodes where I had no idea what it was trying to tell me, and every time had been in the presence of…

…Dengen.

"Huh…" I found myself mumbling aloud.

I set my mind on something at that moment as I unlocked the mailbox and stuck our mail in the plastic bag I had. Ever since I laid eyes on Tybalt Dengen, something about the Blue Star changed. I didn't know if he really had something to do with it, but if he did, I was going to figure it out one way or another.

* * *

><p>The weekend came and left, and Easter was over before I knew it. The Monday afterwards, Mutt and I were hanging out in his basement.<p>

Considering both his parents are doctors, it's safe to say that Mutt's basement is the lap of luxury for someone with as low of standards as mine. In one corner is a series of couches aligned in a ninety-degree angle in front of a plasma screen TV, which was equipped with a Blu-ray/DVD player, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. In the opposite corner is a Jacuzzi, set up on the only area in the room not covered in shag carpet; I was anxiously awaiting the time when I'd get to use it. And in the adjacent corner is a pool table and an air hockey table, the latter of which Mutt and I were currently playing as one of my Owl City CDs played softly over the stereo system.

"So what're you saying?" Mutt asked; though his eyes were on me, he hardly missed a beat in his game.

I was having a little more difficulty, doing my best to hit the puck every time as I explained, "Mutt, think about it. Every time the Blue Star has had this kind of freak-out, Dengen's been somewhere nearby. The debate, the assembly, and now today." I cringed when the puck whizzed past my hand and into my goal. "What if all these instances aren't just some coincidence? What if Dengen has some kind of connection to the Gold Star?"

Once I knocked the puck his way again, Mutt continued, "Well, your guess is as good as mine on that one. I don't know what it's like to wield the Blue Star, and I've never been close enough to Dengen to smell him without other scents mingling in."

"Does the Gold Star have a specific scent?"

"Yeah, like wet rocks, Bunsen burner fire, and unbridled _anger._"

I paused, taking that in. What I would give for a nose like Mutt's…

In my brief train of thought, I let my guard down, and soon Mutt had another point. A chuckle of embarrassment burst out of my mouth as I grabbed the puck and once again let it loose.

"In all seriousness," I went on, "Mr. Tucker told me that King Minusion could've acquired some new powers during his dormancy. Maybe… Oh, I don't know. This whole thing is still confusing the heck out of me!"

Sensing my frustration, Mutt held the puck down with his mallet and calmly said, "I understand, Nat. You wanna figure this out without jumping to irrational conclusions. The fact of the matter is we have a lot to deal with these days, but I know things are gonna work out in due time. Sometimes you just have to… roll with the punches."

I gave him a small nod. "You're right… as always." A smirk crept on my face at that point. "You just gotta help me take the blow."

"Isn't that what I'm here for?" he playfully chided back.

"Among others reasons. Now let go of the puck before I stick you in the penalty box," I teased as I started circling around the table.

"Oh, so you're going _there,_ now are ya?"

"I think you know where I'm going!"

And upon that outburst, I jumped onto Mutt's back and sent the two of us into an uproar of laughter. Thrown off balance, Mutt stumbled around until he finally collapsed onto the couch with me still on top of him, our laughs not slowing for a good ten seconds. Then we calmed down, laying there quietly with only the sweet tune of _Fireflies_ breaking the silence.

Eventually, as if we knew we were thinking the same thing, Mutt rolled over slightly, lifting his head up, while I simultaneously lowered myself and met his lips with mine. During that kiss, I took in Mutt's scent as best I could, trying to find the right words to describe what I wished was a much stronger aroma to my human nose. Brisk pine, subtle musk, fresh-cut grass, all buried beneath the smell of his Old Spice cologne. I loved it all… if only I could let it last a little while longer.

Mutt released the kiss and I immediately slumped over, resting my head on his shoulder. A dreamy smile spread across my face and I almost wanted to fall asleep.

"Nat?"

"Hm…?" I blinked myself out of my fatigue, keeping still and staring at nothing. "Yeah, what's up?"

"I keep asking myself this… but do I give you enough freedom?"

My smile came back. "Mutt, you've given me more freedom than I had before you walked into my life."

He looked down at the floor. "Yeah, but… You always tell me you're stronger because of me. So… what would happen if you didn't have me by your side?"

"I'd honestly rather not think about that."

"Just _try._ We both know I won't always be there. It's not pleasant to think about, no, but it's the truth. We'll have to work alone at some point down the road, and I wanna know that'll you'll be able to cope without me."

For a second, I almost let tears slip out of my eyes. He was right, of course, but I didn't know if I had an answer for him. What would I do without Mutt? And what if… he was thinking the same thing about me?

The only thing I could think to say was painfully obvious, yet true in every aspect. "You'll always be with me…" I gently grabbed his hand and placed it over my heart. "Right here."

Mutt closed his eyes and took in my words; I hoped I had given him a good enough answer.

The next thing he did really broke the mood for me. He pulled his hand away and clenched it slightly. Then he wriggled out from underneath me and asked, "Do you mind if… I go get something to drink real quick?"

"Um… Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks."

As he quickly stood up and started ascending the staircase, I observed Mutt through my empathetic powers. He was displaying confusion, affinity and fear of loneliness, which was easy to understand, but his uneasiness and suspicion were making me a bit curious. Was there something else on his mind?

Alone in the basement, I kicked my feet, looked around and went into thought. I _had_ been asking myself what would happen if I was left to fend for myself. I had depended on Mutt for what felt like a long time at that point, so it seemed impossible for me to work without him. And his strong trust in me no doubt made me just as important to him.

Then I started thinking of Shane. He was rather dependent on me too, seeing as how I was the first and likely, for the time being, only person to provide him with comfort. Mutt and I both understood his feelings about his Star Wolf form, but their rivalry over me kept Mutt from displaying any sympathy. I didn't quite understand why my thoughts switched over to Shane, but as long as they did, I told myself that they could both trust me. I was there for them whenever they needed me, and I knew they would be there for me too.

I heard Mutt's footsteps on the staircase again, this time more rapid and alert. The strong aura of panic that came with him made me spring to my feet, and when he reached the bottom, his expression of both determination and alarm didn't help to ease my nerves.

"Nat…" he said in a low, firm tone. "Stay here. I have to go."

"Mutt, what's the problem?" I questioned, stepping closer to him.

Mutt looked up the stairs, his expression never changing. "Vampires."

That stopped me in my tracks. "V-Vampires? Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I sensed something in the atmosphere beforehand, and when I checked outside, there was this overpowering _stench_ all over the place. It was like wine and cheep perfume multiplied to unbearable measures, like nothing I've ever smelled before. There's no doubt in my mind; there's a vampire out there. Maybe more than one."

I grabbed his arm. "You're not seriously thinking of going alone. Fighting a vampire won't be like fighting a Minusion. This is the ancient enemy of the wolf we're talking about."

Mutt protectively clasped my hand. "Natalie, listen to me. You're right, fighting them won't be the same, which is why I'm not letting you throw yourself into this fight. Let me handle it."

"Mutt, you just said-"

"I _know_ what I said!" He stopped and calmed himself down. "Please, Nat… I'm not letting you risk yourself for me."

When I couldn't think of anything else to say, Mutt pushed me away and sat me back down on the couch. "Now stay here. I'll be back."

"Promise?"

"Promise." For the first time, his sideways smile did nothing to reassure me.

I then watched in silence as Mutt dashed up the stairs, heading off to throw himself head-first into his first fight with the wolf's enemy.

And as anyone could guess, I wasn't about to let him do it alone.

I waited for two minutes, hopefully giving myself enough time for me to follow him without giving my scent away, then I threw my jacket off, ran upstairs and out the back door. Along the way, I pulled a popcorn kernel out of my pants pocket, clenched it in my fist, popped it and stuck it in my mouth. Once I was in the backyard, I backed away from the house a good distance and swallowed the popcorn, awakening the Blue Star within me and letting my sky blue wings take form. Then I ran back towards the house, leaped onto the roof in one bound, and shot into the air on an updraft.

I kept rising up for a moment, scanning the nighttime scenery of Peach Creek for Mutt. I found him heading towards downtown, still in his human form. What I wasn't expecting was his sudden turn towards the old mill down by the south end of the creek.

The Blue Star wasn't telling me anything, so my only option was to go with whatever happened. Like Mutt said, I had to roll with the punches.

Once Mutt disappeared behind the mill, I cautiously flew his way…


	2. In the Heat of the Night

**Chapter 2: In the Heat of the Night**

If Mutt hadn't known better, he would've thought his nose was on fire. The foul odor of vampires was burning nasal passages, and he knew it would be so much worse when he took on his wolf form. He could've shifted right then and there, as an attack could come out of nowhere, but if these bloodsuckers had something to say, he wanted to be able to talk back.

Cautiously and constantly alert, Mutt set the pair of shorts he brought with him down by the creek and snuck into the old Peach Creek mill through a back door. He took a deep whiff of the air, trying to find where the awful scent was the strongest. It wasn't that easy, considering it was all over the place, but it seemed like the scent's origin was right over his head.

As he quietly stepped over fallen boards and other obstructions, Mutt took a moment to ask himself a few questions. What were vampires doing in Peach Creek of all places? He knew what vampires sought in the first place, but wouldn't a killing in a small town seem a bit too conspicuous? Well, whatever the case, he wasn't going to let them sink their teeth in anyone's necks and get away with it, especially…

Wait… What if they were after something else? With the sun down, they could've very easily stepped out and gone after someone that very moment. So why were they waiting in this old building?

Maybe it was _him_ they were after. Or worse… the Blue Star successor.

Mutt quickly shook that thought out of his head. The latter sounded absolutely ridiculous. What would vampires want with _me?_ He was a more likely target, seeing as how his own scent would be hard to mask from those vamps and they had every reason to go after him.

He finally stepped out into an open area in the center of the mill. Moonlight was pouring in through the loose boards in the ceiling and walls, and the all-too-calm atmosphere mixed with the overpowering stench sent a wave of adrenaline through his systems. He gripped his fists, facing the east wall and awaiting his moment to strike.

"Well, well, well…"

A cold voice sent a shiver down Mutt's spine, and though part of him wanted to get away from it, he forced himself to turn around and face his adversary.

Standing on a platform hanging above the ground level, leaning against the railing and gazing down at Mutt, was a man with an appearance Mutt was half expecting. His pale skin, red eyes and pointed ears would give away his vampire nature to anyone, and the scent he was giving off only helped to support that fact. Coupled with all this was his black hair that was neat on top and slightly messy underneath, a black goatee, grey dress clothes, a red tie and a dark grey jacket. That devilish smirk he was giving Mutt only riled up his nerves, and it would only get worse when he saw the fangs hiding behind it.

"So you decided to come in human form," the vampire spoke again, his pure white fangs shining in the dim light. "Shame. That just takes all the fun out of it."

Mutt never let himself flinch. "What do you want?"

"I think it's pretty obvious what I want." He casually examined his fingernails. "Why? What did you _think_ I was here for?"

"Don't mess with me. If you hurt _anyone_ in this town, I'll rip your head off like a paper towel!"

He chuckled mirthlessly. "No need to be so harsh, Mister… I'm sorry, what's your name? Considering we can at least talk for a moment, I might as well know."

Mutt narrowed his forest green eyes. "Just call me Mutt."

"'Mutt'?" the vampire repeated, letting out another chuckle. "How… _fitting._"

This guy was _really_ starting to irritate Mutt. In preparation for his inevitable transformation, he quickly yanked his shirt off and threw it aside, which only seemed to further amuse the vampire.

"You seem quick to jump to conclusions," the man continued. "If it's the other denizens of this little town you're worried about, I can assure you that I couldn't care less about them. You're the only one I'm concerned with."

"And why is that?" Mutt folded his arms. "And you never told me _your_ name, y'know."

"Oh, of course. Where are my manners?" he sighed, clutching his chest in mock guilt. "I am Dr. Alexander Hayashi, cross-country traveler and werewolf hunter."

Mutt pursed his lips in a look of utter disdain. "Dr. Hayashi, huh?"

"And I'll have you know that title is _not_ self-appointed," he added proudly.

The mill lights suddenly came on, at which time Mutt immediately became aware of a second presence, one that was clearly another vampire. Seconds later, that vampire jumped up onto the platform, looking down at Mutt with an expression similar to his own.

This new vampire looked to be about his age, sporting long black hair tied in a ponytail, a grey shirt, a brown jacket and pants, and grey-and-black tennis shoes. Many of his facial features, such as his cheek bones, nose and eye shapes, looked similar to Dr. Hayashi's. The only difference was that his red eyes, though darkened from thirst, had a slightly brighter hue to them.

For the first time since Mutt spotted him, Dr. Hayashi frowned, which only helped to make his and the teen's faces spitting images of each other. "Nice of you to _finally_ join us."

The teen vampire snuffed him, keeping his eyes on Mutt.

"So who's this kid?" Mutt asked. His comment seemed to anger the teen.

"This is my son, Oliver." Dr. Hayashi shrugged and rolled his eyes. "He aids me in hunts, shares the reward, gets on my nerves most of the time…"

"_Excuse_ me?" Oliver finally spoke up. "I don't have to follow you around every second of every day, _Dad._ I wanna take a moment to slow down and look around every once in a while."

"I understand that," Dr. Hayashi growled. "But I _told_ you that we couldn't waste any time when we got here."

"And you've been doing a _great job._"

"It's not my fault he showed up on two legs. I have no control over that."

"Why are you after _this_ guy anyway? He's not even a werewolf."

"Don't think I'm not aware of that, Oliver!"

Mutt couldn't help but smile at the sight of Dr. Hayashi's calm demeanor being shattered by his own son. Their attention returned to him when he let a snicker escape his lips.

"And what're _you_ smiling about?" Dr. Hayashi snapped.

"Dude…" Mutt laughed. "You led me in here just to watch you two bicker? What's up with _that?_"

"Well, if _**someone**_ could just take his responsibility seriously for _once_ in his life, we'd all get along swimmingly."

"He does have a point, though. If you're a werewolf hunter, why are you after _me?_"

Dr. Hayashi took a deep breath to regain his composure. Once his smirk returned, he answered, "What most people fail to realize is that there's a common link between wolves, werewolves and Star Wolves. Because it carries no supernatural energy, taste-wise, the blood of ordinary wolves has little difference than that of other animals, so that leaves me with two options. Obviously, werewolves are the more common of the two, seeing as how it's very rare for a wolf or werewolf's spirit to meet the requirements to become an _Etwal Lou_ star. You are a rare entity, young man; you should be proud."

He began a slow pace, his fingers gliding along the railing in his walk. "Whether it was a wolf or werewolf's spirit that created your star doesn't matter. All that matters is that there's a powerful supernatural energy flowing through your veins, and _that's_ what makes your blood so tempting."

"So that's it?" Mutt questioned. "All you want is my blood? That's your _only_ reason for hunting _me_ of all people?"

"What can I say? It's not every day I catch wind of a Star Wolf. It's just too bad I found you while you're still at such a young age… before you had a chance to pass your power down to future generations. But regardless…" His wicked smile widened. "…I just _can't_ pass up on an opportunity like this."

Mutt was about to shoot a comeback, but was stopped when Dr. Hayashi jumped down and slammed his fist into Mutt's face. He fell to the floor with a loud groan; the pain only last a few more seconds until his super healing kicked in.

Before he even had a chance to get back up, Dr. Hayashi grabbed him by his hair and flung him into a stack of barrels. Mutt laid there for a moment, and when he finally found the power to sit up again, he was greeted with waves of pain and a cold, taunting chuckle from his vampire foe.

"This won't be very enjoyable if you just lay there and let me hit you," Dr. Hayashi teased. "At least give me something worthwhile."

Mutt knew what he was trying to do. He was coaxing him to change into his wolf form. Not only did he seem like the kind of person who would enjoy the thrill of the hunt, but Mutt also had a nagging suspicion that his blood would have a stronger appeal when in wolf form, like the shift would purify the supernatural energy, ripening the taste…

Whatever the case, he wasn't about to let this bloodsucker get to him.

Feeling much more energized, Mutt shot up and launched a fist at Dr. Hayashi, which he calmly and easily caught. A split second later, Mutt kicked his foot into Dr. Hayashi's stomach, a backup move he didn't see coming but hardly seemed affected by. He grabbed Mutt's face; Mutt grabbed his wrist, pushing his arm down. Dr. Hayashi was pulled down slightly, using his momentum to grab Mutt's neck and slam his face onto the floor.

"Really, now…" Dr. Hayashi sighed. "Is this all you have to throw at me?"

Mutt viciously whipped around and grabbed Dr. Hayashi's shoulders. In an instant, the latter simply rolled over, taking Mutt with him, until Mutt lost his grip and was lying on his stomach, pinned down by Dr. Hayashi's foot.

"Not to be rude, but I was expecting a better fight."

It was getting increasingly difficult for Mutt to keep it together. He couldn't let his anger get the best of him or he'd be forced to transform. But his adrenaline from the fight, Dr. Hayashi's taunts and that awful scent stuck in his nose were riling him up to no end. And to add insult to injury, in his weaker human state, he couldn't break free from the vampire's strong hold on him.

"Getting angry, are we?" Dr. Hayashi whispered. "I've barely used half my strength and you haven't even harmed me in the slightest."

Mutt thought of something else at that moment: Oliver had yet to join the fight. An idea danced into his mind just as Dr. Hayashi grabbed him and threw him across the room again.

This time Mutt was ready. As he flew back, he straightened up so that he slammed into the wall with one foot on it and the other on the floor. He then pushed back and made a run for it, serving around Dr. Hayashi, jumping up and grabbing onto the railing of the upper platform.

Both vampires looked rather surprised by his sudden move, but it didn't hold them back. Mutt flipped over the railing and stood bravely in front of Oliver. He matched Mutt's stance, but Mutt noticed an unusual sense of hesitance in Oliver, as if he didn't want to fight in the first place.

Nonetheless, Oliver made the first move, charging at Mutt and throwing a fist at him. Mutt dodged it and threw his own punch. Likewise, Oliver ducked under it and launched a roundhouse kick, his foot slamming into Mutt's side. Mutt quickly recuperated and punched Oliver in the head while he was down. The two kept it up for a long time, throwing punch after kick after punch at one another and finding themselves evenly matched.

But that was made up for by the fact that Mutt was outnumbered.

Having made his way back onto the platform, Dr. Hayashi kicked a weakened Mutt down from behind. Oliver backed off while Mutt tried to shake it off, only to receive another sharp kick to the head.

The force threw him onto his back and sent drops of blood out of his nose. "Wait… I…"

Mercy was still far off, judging by the third kick delivered to his human body.

"Would you just-?"

Another kick.

"STOP IT!"

"You know how to end the pain," Dr. Hayashi sneered. "Do yourself a favor."

Another kick almost knocked Mutt off the platform. He scrambled to stay on, screaming all the while, "No! NO! _NO!_"

And finally, one last, strong kick launched Mutt towards the adjacent wall, and seconds before he hit, he exploded out of his skin. His human form burst in a flurry of tan, and in a split second, it was replaced with that of a gigantic, snarling wolf.

His pain was dialed down and the vampires had what they wanted. One thing was certain: Mutt couldn't hold back now.

With a vicious roar, Mutt charged at the vampires, aiming specifically for a grinning Dr. Hayashi. Mutt anticipated his next move and, luckily, guessed correctly, for Dr. Hayashi quickly jumped up to land on him from above. Calculating his angle of descent, Mutt swung around and met Dr. Hayashi halfway, sinking his teeth into an exposed part of the vampire's side.

Once he had Dr. Hayashi pinned to the floor, Mutt let go and raked his claws along his face, knocking him onto his unharmed side. The pain only seemed to bother him for a second, then his smile returned, looking much more crazed and maniacal than before.

Dr. Hayashi quickly reached inside his coat and pulled out two retractable staffs, one of which he threw to Oliver. The teen vampire easily caught it, extended it and swung it into Mutt's head. After shaking it off, Mutt jumped and snapped at him. Oliver fell back and swung the staff at him again. As Mutt dodged it, he whirled back around just in time to stop Dr. Hayashi from jumping him again.

He was surrounded on both sides and needed a plan. Fast. At the very least, Mutt knew he had to keep the vamps' mouths away from him; those fangs spelled his doom. If he could, he would try to take out the weaker of the two, Oliver, and deal with Dr. Hayashi at full force.

Dr. Hayashi held his staff up in an act of warning. Mutt growled and lunged forward as if he were about to attack, which led Dr. Hayashi to swing at him. He was quick, though, hitting Mutt's head just as he was pulling back. Despite the slight headache, Mutt managed to spring forward and knock Dr. Hayashi over, taking a few hits in the process. Then he whirled back around and caught Oliver off guard, grabbing him by his ponytail and flinging him off the platform. The loud _thump_ and pained groan from below felt oddly satisfying to him.

Even that attack on his son didn't break Dr. Hayashi's concentration. He jumped at Mutt again, delivering to sharp blows to the wolf's flanks with his staff. Mutt leaped at him again, a move that he quickly swerved around. Without missing a beat, Mutt turned back around at launched himself again, teeth out and ready to bite. Instead, his jaws were clamped around Dr. Hayashi's staff, and the two were locked together, pushing against one another, trying to force their opponent back.

Something seemed to be distracting Dr. Hayashi, judging by his faltering expression and decrease in effort. Mutt tried to take advantage of the situation, but was only stopped when Dr. Hayashi shouted, "Time out!"

Mutt was effectively startled out of his position, letting go of the staff and taking a few steps back. He tried to sniff out what Dr. Hayashi seemed so entangled in.

A scent was starting to poke its way through the fog of vampire stench, but he couldn't quite describe it while the smell of wine and cheap perfume was still clouding his nostrils.

Oliver sat up and rubbed his head. He could smell it too, but he wasn't sure what it was or why the two on the platform were so interested in it.

And slowly, ever so slowly, his curiosity piquing, Dr. Hayashi turned towards the front doors of the mill.

_**KAPOW**_

_**SLAM**_

Everyone jumped back a few feet when the front doors were blown off completely and thrown into the opposite wall. They stared wide-eyed at the spectacle, then turned back to find the one responsible.

And sure enough, they found _me,_ standing in the doorway with one hand outstretched, wings shining in the moonlight and locks of hair dangling in front of my face.

"Stay away from him"

Dr. Hayashi looked rather confused and even somewhat annoyed for a moment, then his devious smiled returned. "I don't believe what I'm seeing…" he chuckled, stepping closer to the platform railing. "You're the Blue Star successor… aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" I snapped, pulling my hand back and clenching my wrist.

As he looked me over, Dr. Hayashi looked like he would burst out laughing at any moment. "_You…_ are the Blue Star successor…? Wow. Based on the things I've heard about you, I would've expected someone with your reputation to be a little… _older._"

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you know about me?"

"Just things I hear through the grapevine. That's all." He shrugged. "Now perhaps you'd like to tell what your relationship with this Star Wolf is."

"That's none of your concern!"

"Oh, believe me, I'm pretty sure it is."

Mutt let out a threatening growl, one that caught Dr. Hayashi's attention. "You seem to care a lot for each other, if I do say so myself."

"You could say that." I stepped inside. "I don't know what you're after, but you're _not_ sinking your teeth into him. Not while I have a say in this."

Dr. Hayashi flashed me an unpleasant grin. "Oliver, get up. This hunt just got a _lot_ more interesting."

_Hunt?_ I couldn't help but ask myself. _Whatever. Their motives don't matter. You can't let Mutt down._

I lifted myself off the floor, charging up the Blue Star energy in my hands and lifting my right hand in preparation of an attack. My eyes flashed to Mutt, and I knew that he had to be asking what on earth I was thinking, but considering he was outnumbered, he needed me to even the playing field.

Oliver jumped onto the platform, strong again and ready to fight. Mutt crouched down, waiting for his moment to strike. Dr. Hayashi kept his eyes on me, pulling his left arm back, staff in hand.

I then threw my hand down, launching a popcorn blast at Dr. Hayashi. At the same time, he threw his staff out and spun it in a rapid circle. The Blue Star energy became entangled in the wind, then was thrown back at me, which I blocked with a shield of energy.

And thus, the fight resumed. Mutt jumped at Dr. Hayashi, but the latter dodged him, causing Mutt to collide with Oliver instead. I started circling the mill, launching multiple blasts at the vampires; some hit them, but most were avoided. No matter what, I kept moving, keeping to the air since there was no sense in trying to outrun them.

In his fight with Oliver, Mutt realized something. No matter what position they were in, Oliver never tried to bite him. The two were simply twisting around one another, dodging claws, fists, snaps and staff swings, never really taking a bite out of each other. Was Oliver trying to go easy on him?

I broke my circle and jumped off a wall, sending down a large wave of energy on the platform. As I had hoped, Mutt was out of its range; Oliver took a good portion of the attack; Dr. Hayashi was simply knocked back by the aftershock. One of the supports holding the platform up snapped, causing it to tilt and sending Oliver tumbling off the low corner. I then landed on the opposite wall and started skidding around the room without dropping any speed, flawlessly defying gravity.

While he was down, Oliver noticed something that had been discarded from my attacks, something he cautiously picked up and studied. "Popcorn…?"

The motion was started to get to me, so I landed on the off-kilter platform right next to Mutt. Dr. Hayashi didn't waste any time, swinging his staff at me in a wide arc. I tried to use the Blue Star energy as a shield, but the staff broke through it and hit my arm. (Quick mental note: energy shields only block energy, namely that of the Gold Star. I'd have to remember that in the future.) Ignoring the pain, I threw my arm back out and blasted a direct hit at him, though he hardly seemed fazed. Half in defense and half in panic, I threw out another blast with both hands, effectively sending him back a few steps. Mutt took over, knocking Dr. Hayashi to the side as I jumped up and shot him in the head. I decided that my choice to stop moving was a bad one, so I took to the air again.

Oliver made his way back onto the platform, and at the same time, Dr. Hayashi noticed the discarded popcorn too. After avoiding an attack from Mutt, he picked a piece up while Oliver questioned, "What the heck's up with this popcorn?"

I overheard that little comment, so I answered their questions with another large blast, which sent the vampires jumping back in opposite directions. More popcorn spread out from the impact.

"It seems to be generated from her attacks," Dr. Hayashi deduced.

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "So this Blue Star successor girl is some kind of _Popcorn Fairy?_"

Dr. Hayashi smirked typically. "It would seem so."

Mutt was getting tired; that was easy to tell. I was getting pretty sick of this fight myself. I'm not really sure what I was thinking at that moment, but I started charging up a larger attack. Just as I was ready to launch it, I veered too close to the vampires and found myself being struck with a staff.

The force sent me spinning, but in that moment, something new happened. The Blue Star energy in my hands was swept up by the wind and circled around me, forming a sphere. I found the will to stop, finding myself enclosed in the blue orb, and when I pushed it away, the energy shot out in all directions. The sight of this newfound attack made me smile despite the situation.

The blasts hit both vampires, and even Mutt had little time to avoid the attack. Having regained my drive, I flew around the platform in circles. Dr. Hayashi stood back up just in time for me to destroy the other support on the right side of the platform. The whole right side crashed to the floor, tliting it further. Mutt simply jumped down while Oliver toppled off again and Dr. Hayashi held onto the railing to keep his footing.

Another popcorn blast was sent Dr. Hayashi's way in an attempt to throw him off, but he captured the energy with one swing of his staff. Then he bent it into a boomerang shape and threw the fiery weapon at me. I ducked under it and it rotated back to him, the flames extinguished by the time he caught and readjusted it.

The rest of that fight was somewhat of a blur as blind fury took over me. I swung my arms, blasting multiple attacks at the vampire, all in vain. The next thing I knew, I was taking the hardest blow of the night to the side of my face, one that sent me flying back and crashing into a generator.

At last, my drive died down and I laid there in pain for a moment. Electricity sparked from the generator's broken circuits. My spine tingled as the atmosphere was filled with that cold chuckle of Dr. Hayashi's.

"So… Popcorn Fairy," he said, partially as a joke. "If you don't mind, I'd like to resume my private conversation with your little friend here."

I forced myself to sit up, ignoring the fact that I was tangled in wires. "Don't even _think_ about it…!" I growled, half-consciously throwing a popcorn blast at him.

Dr. Hayashi simply and calmly blew it away with his staff. "_Honestly_ now, do you _really_ think your snack food will have any kind of effect at this point. You're both down for the count."

"In your freaking _dreams…_"

His smile faltered as he looked down at his dizzy son. "Get up, Oliver. You're not done yet."

Oliver let out a hiss, though it seemed more directed at his father than anyone else. Without a word, he walked up to me and studied my current dilemma. Only then was I aware of the danger of possible electrocution.

Turning a cold stare on his father, Oliver loudly asked, "And just what do you expect me to do here?"

Dr. Hayashi sighed. "Oliver, can't I trust you with _anything?_"

Oliver grabbed his head in frustration. Then he jumped up onto the generator, standing above my head and holding his staff high. I was stuck. All I could think to do was close my eyes and wait for the blow…

Before I had a chance to think twice, a series of events occurred.

First, Mutt sprang onto Oliver to try and knock him off. Oliver pushed him back, and my fight-or-flight instincts led me to try and escape. My struggle yanked the wires apart, sending out one large burst of electricity. Soon enough, the three of us on the generator were caught in a painful blast as the hot bolts jolted through our bodies. Our tortured screams pierced the air, a simultaneous cry of terror that even scared Dr. Hayashi out of his wits. And the strange thing was that the pulsating electricity seemed to _connect_ us. I could feel my heart being hook to Mutt and Oliver's, feel the rapid beating of the former and the cold hardness of the latter.

And something in me was changing.

Finally, in one large explosion, we were knocked to the floor and all power in the mill died. Mutt and Oliver were lying on the floor, moaning in pain. But me? I was in _AGONY._

My wings were gone, the damage forcing them back into me, while the rest of my body was struck with waves of pure, unadulterated, excruciating pain. My chest ached, muscles throbbed, my bones snapped… things shifted out of place. With each crack and twinge, I let out an anguished cry, and with each cry, my throat got dryer and dryer, turning my voice rough and distorted.

Oliver was picking himself up and Dr. Hayashi, for once, was in a silent panic. His shaky hands clutched the platform railing as he watched me writhe in pain, finding the will to speak after a long enough pause. "Oliver… fall back."

"WHAT?" Oliver demanded.

"_FALL BACK!_" Dr. Hayashi repeated as he jumped down, ran out the back door and disappeared into the night.

Oliver's mouth went agape as he watched his father leave. He turned to me as my inner torture continued. Then he turned to Mutt, who was slowly recovering from the electrocution.

Without warning, Oliver grabbed Mutt by the scruff of his neck and slammed him into the wall with a force five times greater than before and delivered a sharp punch to Mutt's head. He didn't give Mutt any time to react between his powerful blows, and after the fifth one, Mutt lost his grip on consciousness and fell to the floor in an exhausted heap.

Oliver knew he had to do that. If Mutt had seen what was happening to me, he would've given that vampire what for. With him out of the picture, Oliver turned back to me just as my screaming started to die down.

The pain was ebbing, leaving only a discomforting gravity on my achy body. The fight, the electrocution, and now this… it was all weighing down on me harder than I could handle. I found no other option but to give into the fatigue, slipping my cloudy eyes shut and falling into a deep sleep.

Now Oliver was the last one standing. He nervously looked me over, disturbed by what had happened to me. It was safe to say that I didn't look like myself. He knelt down and touched my forehead, quickly coming to one conclusion:

"I have to get you outta here."


	3. The Journey Begins

**Chapter 3: The Journey Begins**

I felt cold. Wind was blowing through my hair. I felt like I was flying, but my body was way too stiff for that. Despite the chilly air, I felt oddly secure, and I quickly figured out that someone was carrying me. And whoever it was, they were _fast._

As I started to wake up, I became aware of an array of loud noises and strong scents. The wind whistling through my ears was a lot louder than I ever remembered it being, even in flight, yet I could pick through it and hear the rapid footsteps of the person carrying me, the noisy chirping of insects, and the low calls of night birds among other sounds. The scent closest to me was a mix between the smell you get when you first walk into a winery and a subtle mixture of sweet perfumes, which was oddly alluring; other smells surrounding it were of crisp pine, fresh grass, flowers, oak, maple… too many to list! Even the scent of wet mud was mixed in, and it didn't bother my nose in the slightest.

Trying to push these strange sensations away, I started forcing my eyes open. I will still incredibly tired, though, so I couldn't even pull off that simple act. When I tried to speak, all that came out was a soft grunt, a gravelly noise that sounded foreign to my ears.

"Don't move around too much," a gentle voice spoke to me. "That accident at the mill really wore you out."

My drowsiness wasn't improving, but I eventually found the power to talk again, albeit one quiet whisper at a time. "Wh… Who…?"

"My name is Oliver," the same voice said. "I was one of the vampires back there. My dad doesn't know what I'm doing, and he'll definitely be ticked off when he finds out."

"Your… dad…?"

"He came to your town to hunt your Star Wolf friend for his blood. Don't worry, he's alright; Dad retreated after the three of us got zapped."

"The… generator…"

"Yeah, that. Now you have to listen to me. When we were electrocuted together, our energy signatures connected and rubbed off on each other. You've received wolf and vampire energy, and in a sense, you've become a vampire-werewolf hybrid."

"H… Hybrid…?"

"I know, it's weird, but that's the only way I can think to put it. I'm taking you east… as far east as I can go. I'll have to drop you off and turn around eventually so I can get back to Peach Creek before sunrise. When I do, you have to keep going east until you come across the northern tip of the Blue Ridge Mountains."

"Blue… Ridge…"

"Once there, look for my cousin, Sora Hayashi. She should be able to get you back to normal."

"Sora…?"

"Just do this for me. Please." Oliver's voice was as sympathetic as it could get. "Mutt can handle himself, and I'm sure you can too. Just go back to sleep, and when you wake up, start heading east. You're sure to find Sora."

I then felt a tight pinch between my neck and shoulder, one that paralyzed my entire body. My mind went numb and the drowsiness took over. Soon enough, I was asleep again.

* * *

><p>The morning sun assaulted my weary pupils, and getting used to it practically took forever. Surprisingly, the pain from last night had completely left. I actually felt… <em>strong.<em>

I sat up, looking around at my location. I was in a forest, no surprise, with a canopy of trees over my head and patches of tall grass itching my skin.

I pulled away from the irritating grass only to find that that wasn't what was bothering me. I looked up at the rays of the early morning sun shining through the trees. It was hot. _Very_ hot. And I quickly figured out that this was what was irritating my skin. Why was the sunlight hurting me like this?

Come to think of it, why did everything look so _sharp?_ My vision had somehow been corrected into an advanced state, just like it was during my super transformation that night in the football field. I could make out the tiniest features of the tree trunks, the fallen leaves, the blades of grass, even the dust particles floating around my head. I also happened to noticed that my glasses had been tucked into the neck hole of my shirt.

What was going on? I shook myself off, finding that my head felt a bit heavy and my body was stiff. Stiff but not sore. I tried to think back on what had happened up until then, what I had been told…

_Oh… Now I remember._

The accident at the mill. Oliver told me that part of his and Mutt's supernatural energy had been transferred to me… that I had been turned into a vampire-werewolf hybrid. I froze, taking a moment to comprehend this, then I warily looked down at my hands.

The first thing that caught my attention was that my fingernails had grown into claws, and though they were relatively short, it was still enough to make my heart skip a beat. My eyes trailed down my arms, noting that they were lined, but not completely covered, with the same colored fur as Mutt's wolf from: tan with brown undertones. The muscles in my arms had also been developed a little more; no, I wasn't in any sense _buff,_ but when I grabbed my left upper arm, it still felt pretty tough. That increase in muscle mass had torn my shirt sleeves ever so slightly.

My chest also felt broader and thicker without overdoing it, and my abdomen had receded and tightened. When I lifted my shirt up, I found no other oddities underneath it, but I then became aware that my skin tone had lightened a bit. My pants were mostly ripped from the knee down and my shoes and socks were completely gone. My legs, still retaining their human posture, were no different than my arms: more muscle, fur lining, claws on the tips of my toes. There was, however, a wolf tail sticking out of the back of my torn pants, which caused my heart to skip another beat.

I then reached up and started feeling my head. To my surprise, there was very little different about it. Same size, same shape. My hair was a little longer and messier, which I understood. The major difference I found was my ears; while they still stuck out of the sides of my head where they should be, they had the same tan fur and were very… _very_ long. As I gauged their length with my fingers, I felt around the inside of my mouth with my tongue, finding the only difference to be my long, sharp canines. Out of curiosity, I grabbed my glasses and tried to see my reflection in the lenses. My irises had turned blood red, the pupils mere slits against them. And my nose… oh, God, my _nose…_ it had jutted out in an ugly half-muzzle, looking awfully huge compared to the rest of my facial features.

This was crazy. This was just _crazy._ Me… a vampire-werewolf hybrid. How was that even possible? How could a mere electrocution with a vampire and a Star Wolf- a _Star_ Wolf, for crying out loud- do this to me? What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to cope with this? Why was I like this in broad daylight? Why was the pain brought on by the sun so minimal? And why was I so gosh darn _thirsty?_

Yeah, weird thing to ask in a time like this, but I couldn't ignore just how dry my throat was, like no amount of water would ever quench it. After taking a moment to think about it, I came to the conclusion that it was my new vampire side… lusting for blood. I gulped hard, realizing that as long as I was like this, I might just have to put up with this thirst.

As I hooked my glasses back onto my shirt, I did my best to come to terms with this. This was really happening. It wasn't the first time I had undergone a strange transformation, so that at least made it somewhat easier. But… I was alone. Mutt wasn't there to help me along the way. Our conversation from last night came back to me. He had asked me what I would do if I didn't have him to keep me strong. Now it was actually happening.

I took a deep breath and clenched my fists. "Get a grip. You can do this- Whoa!" I was properly shocked when I heard my new voice. It seemed doubled to me, like my normal voice was being accompanied by a deeper, gravelly voice.

After shaking off that discomfort, I stood up and looked down at myself. "This is simple enough. Just go east like Oliver said."

When I really thought about it, I didn't have a lot of instructions to go by. Go east. Find the Blue Ridge Mountains. Find this "Sora" person. Other than that, I had no clue what to do. I didn't know where I was at the time, how long it would take, how I was supposed to find a single vampire… I was practically clueless.

"Maybe it'll get easier along the way…" I tried to persuade myself. "Just head east. Simple enough."

I then thought of something else. I was in bare feet. If there's one thing I hate, it's feeling dirty, so walking through a forest without shoes was _not_ going to be fun.

_Man up,_ a nagging voice in my subconscious told me. Aloud, I sighed, "If you can fight giant monsters bent on dominating mankind, you can handle a little _dirt_ under your feet."

And what was I supposed to do about _food?_ I was pretty hungry… and thirsty, but that much was obvious. Should I just catch something? I scowled slightly when the idea of catching a deer crossed my mind. What would I do with a deer? Eat its meat? Drink its blood? The whole idea made me sick to my stomach.

I sighed. There were just so many problems to deal with, but I had no choice but to buck up and take it. The sooner I found Sora and got back to normal, the better.

I started walking towards the sun. I knew I could've very well _ran._ After all, my new supernatural sides had to have some level of effect on my speed. But I needed to tackle things one step at I time. I was still trying to get used to this.

Looking over my new body one last time, I feigned a smile and found some degree of enthusiasm. How bad could being a hybrid be? Once I got the hang of it, it couldn't be that horrible. This thought quickly boosted my morale. Now I was ready.

_Don't worry, Mutt. I can make it._

My journey had begun.

* * *

><p>Saying that Mutt had woken up with a splitting headache would be an understatement. Still in wolf form, Mutt shook himself off and stood up on shaky legs. His bruises were gone at that point, but his head was still swimming in the chaos from last night.<p>

For some reason, he was thankful he was still alive. He half expected those vampires to prey upon him while he was down. More importantly, though, he realized that it was early morning and he was alone.

_Where's Nat…?_

He sniffed around the room, sorting through the scents that had gone stale since last night. One trail of vampire scent went out the back door. The other went out the front, as did mine.

_They… Don't tell me they took her. They did NOT just take her!_

He furiously ran out of the mill, grabbing his shorts in his mouth and ducking under the nearby flora as he anxiously tried to sniff me out. The vampire scent seemed to overpower mine, and weirder yet, Mutt thought he could catch traces of his own scent among the trail. He nervously followed it, keeping on his toes, never standing still for a second.

He jumped out of the trees and ended up at the south end of the cul-de-sac, his head swinging back and forth as he desperately searched for a trail of some kind. He ran towards my house, finding my scent in the area to be too old, meaning I wasn't home. Mutt couldn't let go of the idea that they had taken me away, but where? Why? Didn't they say that they were after _him?_

His anxiety never fading, he circled around towards his house. The small traces of my somewhat-fresh scent were heading east. The vampire scents were heading in multiple directions. He tried to label each one specifically. The bolder, more potent smell had to be Dr. Hayashi's; he went southwest towards the old abandoned house. The gentler scent was Oliver, but his was all over the place; a weaker trail heading east, a fresher one heading in the same direction as his father. The only traces of my sweet scent were on an eastward trail.

Mutt stopped in a patch of forest behind his house. He once again looked all around for a lead. Should he head towards my scent or go after those vampires for answers? What would get him to me faster? What was safest? Thinking… Thinking… His brain going into overload… How could he just let his guard down while they made off with me? He was better than that! How could he have let this happen?

"A little on edge today, aren't we, Kanker?"

He finally stood still when that familiar English voice broke his train of thought. In his panic, he hadn't even acknowledged Shane's scent, but now that he knew he was there, Mutt didn't bother holding in an annoyed growl. Shane was simply leaning against a tree with his hands in his pockets and a deadpan look on his face.

Mutt quickly turned around and ran towards his house. Shane waited patiently where he stood, and a minute later, Mutt returned in human form, wearing his black shorts. He stormed right past Shane and snarled, "I don't have time for you today, Masterson."

"Too on edge to even give an insult?" Shane raised an eyebrow. "That's hypocritical, even for _you._"

"Look, I've had a long night! I've got two vampires on my tail and-"

"Vampires?" Shane chuckled. "You're kidding me."

"Shane, do you _not_ smell that awful scent all over the place?"

Shane humored him and took a little whiff of the air. His mirth faded. "I've been wondering what that is, actually. You're telling me that's the smell of vampires?"

"Yep." Mutt folded his arms. "These vampires are werewolf hunters, but they hunt our kind too when they get the chance. They cornered me at the old mill last night, and when Nat showed up, we were electrocuted along with one of the vamps. Then I was knocked out and-"

"Knocked out by the electricity or by one of the vampires?"

"Does it _matter?_"

"Just wanted to know what to laugh at you about," Shane chuckled.

"Yeah, laugh it up, 'cause you're gonna _love_ this," Mutt snapped. "When I woke up, Nat was gone."

"WHAT?" Shane jumped back. "Natalie's missing?"

"See why I'm on edge?" Mutt shouted.

Shane grabbed his head and started pacing. "I can't believe you, Kanker! How could you let this happen?"

"I was _UNCONSCOIUS, stupid!_"

"Oh man… Don't tell me these vampires of yours got her! If they've done anything to Nat, I swear I'll kill you!"

"I just told you they're werewolf hunters!" Mutt's eyes trailed to the ground and his voice turned more serious. "With any luck, the Doc will keep his word about not going after the humans from here."

He looked back up at Shane. His pacing looked absolutely ridiculous to Mutt- even though he was doing the exact same thing minutes ago- so he grabbed Shane by the shirt and growled, "Alright, Masterson, listen to me. Nat's scent goes east, so that's where I'll probably find her. The sooner I move, the more time I'll have, since those bloodsuckers can't follow me in broad daylight."

"You're going after her _alone?_" Shane questioned.

"I can handle this on my own!"

After slapping Mutt's hand off of him, Shane calmed down and said, "Now's not the time to be selfish, Kanker. I wanna help you."

"You don't wanna help me. You just want Natalie back."

"_THAT _IS- …true. But face it, if I go with you, we can cover more ground and increase our chances of finding her."

Mutt scowled, pushing his lower lip out.

"Don't try to push me away, Mutt. With Nat gone and vampires after you, you know you could use all the help you can get."

He hated to admit it… and I mean he really, _really_ hated to admit it… but Shane had a point. Mutt let out a defeated sigh. "Beggars can't be choosers…" He gave Shane a firm look and wagged a finger at him. "Along the way, you'll listen to everything I say."

"Maybe."

"Come nightfall, those vampires will be after us in a heartbeat."

"I can handle that." A slight crack in his voice made that hard to believe.

"And in order to increase our speed and make tracking her easier, you'll stay in your wolf form the entire time unless told otherwise."

"_What?_" Shane whined. "Come on, Kanker, be reasonable!"

"Oh, I'm being reasonable. You got a chance to be right, so now it's my turn!"

Shane wanted to protest, but nothing came out. Mutt knew how much he hated his wolf form, but they just couldn't argue that they'd be better off searching for me as wolves rather than humans.

After a silent exchange of glares, Mutt gave one last order. "Get a rope. Tie your clothes around your leg. Then meet me on the outskirts of the woods on _four legs._" He started to turn around. "And I'm warning you, just because we're working together doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on you."

"I wasn't counting on that," Shane mumbled back.

And with that, the rival lovers parted to prepare for their reluctant voyage.

* * *

><p>The dandelions in front of Peach Creek's abandoned house seemed to part on their own accord. A brown shape swerved between the overgrown stalks, and hidden beneath it was Oliver Hayashi, crawling army-style towards the creaky old house with his jacket covering him. He had hoped to arrive there before sunrise, but that didn't happen, so he had to take measures to keep himself out of the sunlight.<p>

Upon reaching the front porch, Oliver covered his head with his jacket, ran out of the dandelion field, opened the door, dashed inside and slammed the door behind him in practically a second, leaving himself with only a few minor blisters. He brushed them off and looked around the house, slight disgust etching onto his face when he saw that it was even more run-down and creepy than the mill.

_Dad _always_ has to pick the most cliché hiding places…_

He looked to his left to find his father sitting in a worn-out chair, facing away from him. His silence was a bad sign, but Oliver just responded to it with an equally-silent scowl.

"Where have you been?" Dr. Hayashi finally asked in a low, unpleasant voice.

"Out," Oliver answered plainly.

After a slight pause, Dr. Hayashi pressed his hands together and sighed, "Oliver, I know you too well. You wouldn't be outside in broad daylight without a good reason, especially considering you didn't bother to tell me what you were up to."

When he didn't receive a response, Dr. Hayashi stood up and walked over to his stern-faced son. Oliver stood still as his father circled around him twice, taking in his appearance and scent.

Dr. Hayashi then stopped and narrowed his eyes. "That girl's scent is lingering on you."

"Say what?"

"The Blue Star successor. Why is her scent all over you?"

Oliver self-consciously sniffed himself. "Why wouldn't it be? We were just fighting her last night-"

"But she never _touched_ you, and I doubt the electrocution would rub her scent off on you. It seems more like…"

He grabbed Oliver's arm and plucked a light brown hair off of Oliver's sleeve.

"…you were _carrying_ her."

Oliver held back a growl and wrenched his arm free. "Maybe I just wanted to get her out of there!"

"And it took you all night to do that," Dr. Hayashi mumbled skeptically.

That shut Oliver up quick. Dr. Hayashi raised his eyebrows just to rub it in Oliver's face.

"There's no point in lying to me, Oliver. I _saw_ what was happening to her last night. I _know_ she had some kind of reaction to her brief connection with you and the Star Wolf. But I'm guessing you know a little more than I do… is that correct?"

Oliver pouted a little and looked at the floor. "Maybe."

"So what happened?" That tone of his was getting less pleasant by the minute.

Clearly Dr. Hayashi wasn't going to let Oliver off the hook until he confessed. Shooting his father a furious look, Oliver loudly explained, "Parts of Mutt and my energy were transferred to her! She's a hybrid now, Dad! A living, breathing, wolf-vampire _hybrid!_"

Dr. Hayashi's eyes widened for a moment at Oliver's outburst. Then he fell into a pondering state, idly stroking his goatee. "I see…"

He turned around and paced a little ways away. "So the electrocution fused part of you and the wolf to her energy signature. I suppose it makes sense. Now would you mind explaining what you did with her?"

Oliver furrowed his brow. "I took her a little over halfway to Blue Ridge so she can find Sora and get turned back to normal. What's the big deal?"

"And does the wolf know this?"

"No. I knocked him out before he could see her."

Suddenly, a wicked smile flashed onto Dr. Hayashi's face. "And with any luck, that annoying wolf will follow her scent all the way there, right where we can track him down and take the upper hand."

"Oh, God…" Oliver tilted his head back in exasperation. "You're still worried about _that?_"

"Of course I am. You of all people should know that when I start a hunt, I don't stop until I've succeeded. Besides, you need his blood as much as I do."

"And why does it have to be _his?_ Why can't we go find some other sucker and drink _their_ blood?"

"What, you mean like a _human?_"

"Not necessarily!"

Dr. Hayashi sighed remorsefully. "Oliver, do I have to explain myself to you again?"

"_No,_ Dad," Oliver groaned. "I _know_ the story. You've only told it to me like twenty-seven times!"

As though he hadn't even heard him, Dr. Hayashi started into space and wistfully recalled the memory. "I was nineteen. My brother had moved out a year ago and I was still living with my father."

"Your dad smelled a werewolf and went after it, and you just _had_ to follow him," Oliver continued flatly.

"By the time I found them, he had already been burned, and in my rage-"

"You bit it. You got addicted to its blood. Then when I came into the story, you got _me_ hooked too!"

"Power… Such breathtaking, unbridled _power_." His voice had died down to a dark whisper. "Like fire coursing through my being. I wanted… _needed_ more. And nothing, not the wolf, not the successor… not even _you,_ Oliver… will get between me and that fire."

The two stood there, glaring at each other for the longest time. Then Dr. Hayashi spoke up again in a serious tone. "Come sundown, we're going after them. End of story."

"And just what do you plan on doing to them when we catch up?" Oliver grumbled.

"The same thing we always do to our prey."

"So you're just gonna kill Mutt. Dad, come on, what about the girl?"

Dr. Hayashi paused, his expression softening a little. "I don't know what'll happen to her yet. I guess that's just a bridge we'll cross when we get there." He started to walk away, silently adding, "Besides, there's something… _interesting_ about this young girl."

_Interesting?_ Oliver repeated in his head. He wasn't quite sure what his father meant by that, nor was he sure if his uncharacteristic tone implied empathy or apathy.

With a defeated sigh, Oliver sat down on an old couch. He couldn't stop the inevitable, whatever it held.

* * *

><p>It was getting hard to tell how long I had been walking. The sun had risen and was quickly falling, so I guessed it had been about seven hours. I mostly kept a steady pace, though sometimes I ran, but I never stopped. I just kept heading east. And to my surprise, I wasn't nearly as tired as I should've been, though I dismissed this thought, figuring my endurance had to have increased as a result of my transformation.<p>

There were really only two things I was fighting. One was the combination of hunger and thirst, specifically the latter. My stomach had been driving me crazy for a good four hours, but what _really_ bothered me was that unpleasant, dry feeling in my throat that sent sparks of desire to my taste buds. Every so once in a while, an animal would pass somewhere nearby, and the smell of their blood would send me into temporary shock. More than once I wished I could turn off this advanced sense of smell… block off the overpowering scents around me.

_Be careful what you wish for,_ I laughed to myself, recalling how last night, I found myself envying Mutt's keen nose.

Still, despite my efforts to stay calm when an animal approached, half of me really did desire to go after them and get a taste of those oh so delectable scents. No matter what, I never gave into these strange new instincts. Even if I was alone, I couldn't handle that kind of humiliation.

And that was the other thing that bothered me. As antisocial as I used to be, I didn't like this true sense of _loneliness_ weighing down on me. I was used to people always being nearby, whether I wanted them to be or not. Out here, there was no one. I missed my family. I missed my friends. Most of all, I missed Mutt. At the least, my drive to be by his side again made me move a little faster. I'd rather he be standing next to a normal-looking Natalie than this hybrid stalking through the forest.

Just keep heading east. That's all I knew. That's all that mattered. Just keep heading east.

That's when I smelled something else.

It was blood, no doubt. The burning in my throat and the cornucopia of pleasing, intertwining smells was enough to prove that. But this was _different._ Citrus, tang, cinnamon, bread, leather… I wasn't sure why these words were popping into my head, but that's just what it smelled like. And it was so much more _tempting_ than the plain scents of animal blood.

_Humans…?_

I had learned beforehand that my advanced ears could hear heartbeats, and the two that I was suddenly hearing definitely matched the speed of mine. Or rather, they matched the speed of my normal heart rate, considering the situation was making it speed up.

_What are humans doing so far out in the middle of nowhere? Idiots, they're putting all three of us in danger! Wait… what if they can help me figure out where I'm going? What- NO! You can't let them see you! How will they react? How will _I_ react?_

A million thoughts jumbled around in my head, spewing questions I didn't have the answer to.

I needed a distraction. Something. Anything.

And though I didn't know why, I focused on the sound of the humans' voices…

"Dude, I'm telling you, there's a chick out there."

"Naw, man, it's a girl."

"What's the difference?"

"A chick is a baby chicken. Ha!"

"Hey, shut up, man!"

Their voices made them sound like they were just a little younger than me, which made me again question why these two young boys were so far out in the woods by themselves.

Either out of my need to know where I was, desire to rid myself of loneliness, simple curiosity, or a little bit of all three, I slowly walked towards the voices, doing my best to block off my nasal passages. Soon enough I found them; they were kneeling behind a fallen tree that was propped up on another fallen tree, so the only part of them that I saw was their butts, one clothed in green pants, the other blue. Wary of my new voice, I managed to call out as gently as possible, "Hello?"

"Oh, dude, I think she hears us," the one in green pants whispered.

"What do we do?" the one in blue pants asked.

"Just pretend we're not here."

"Uh, we're not here!" the one in blue pants loudly called out.

"Shh! What're you _doing,_ man?" the one in green pants snapped, kicking the other in the calf.

"Ow! _What?_ I was just trying to help!"

Wow. These two seemed _clueless._ I had been standing right in front of their tree for a while now and they hadn't even noticed. My curiosity was still eating at me, so I crouched down to get a good look at the bickering pair from beneath the elevated tree trunk.

They were identical twin boys, definitely two or three years my junior, bearing short, messy chestnut hair, ears that were a little too big for their heads, and the brightest hazel eyes I had ever seen. Their outfits matched in style- tee-shirts, baggy pants, tennis shoes- but one was wearing red and green with a positive sign on his shirt while the other wore orange and blue with a negative sign. And even when I was at their level, looking straight at them, they still didn't notice me.

"Just don't say anything," the red and green one whispered sharply.

"Okay, fine," the orange and blue one whispered back.

"I said don't say anything!"

Quickly getting fed up with this, I decided to make my presence known. "Um, excuse me?"

And the moment they saw me, the twins screamed, stood up and jumped back about ten feet.

In reality, I knew I shouldn't have been surprised. How else would I expect two adolescent twins to react when they saw a vampire-werewolf hybrid? But I couldn't hold back the shocked look on my face as I bounced back into an upright position.

"Please, don't hurt us!" the orange and blue one cried. "We're not worth it! We're weak, hungry and broke!"

"Yeah, if you want, just take him!" the red and green one begged, tilting his head towards his brother.

The fear quickly started to ease after that offensive comment. "Oh, that's _real_ nice, man! Way to stick up for your brother!"

"Uh, guys?" I mumbled.

Not hearing me, the red and green one argued, "Will you stand up for yourself for once in your life? You have less to lose than I do!"

"Ah, what do you have anymore? Just me and some warm soda, and you haven't done so well with either!"

"Hey, where would you be without me? For all we know, you could be _dead_ by now!"

"_Guys…?_"

"I could make it just fine on my own!"

"Yeah right! I've been leading this operation the whole time!"

"This 'operation' was _MY_ idea!"

"_Our_ idea! There's two of us, y'know!"

"_Like that need reiterated!_"

"GUYS!"

At my outburst, the twins shut up and resumed their horrified positions. I cringed slightly, then relaxed and spoke to them in the most honest tone I could work up with this ragged voice.

"Just calm down, alright? I'm not gonna hurt either of you."

"Really?" the red and green one questioned. And just like that, they both relaxed and smiled at me. "Whew, that's a relief."

"Really had us going there," the orange and blue one chuckled.

Wow. Again. Clueless and perhaps a little too trusting. I knew if I was in their shoes, I'd still be a little suspicious of something that looked like me.

"Hey, I'm Chris," the red and green one introduced himself.

"And I'm Cole," the orange and blue one added.

"And, uh…" Chris scratched his head. "W-What are you?"

Another cringe. I couldn't blame him for asking that, but a "_Who_ are you?" would've been a bit more polite.

I circled around the tree trunk, awkwardly rubbing my neck and avoiding eye contact with the twins. "It's complicated… but after a weird series of events that started just last night… I've become a… vampire-werewolf hybrid."

"Ouch…" Cole breathed, taking two steps back.

"Tell me about it. I was a bit worried about talking to you two."

"So what're you doing out here?" Cole asked.

"Someone told me to head east. They said there's someone at the Blue Ridge Mountains who can turn me back to normal."

"Blue Ridge?" Chris repeated. When I looked up again, they were both smiling. "Shoot, we were just there not too long ago!"

"Really?" I felt my ears perk up as my spirits lifted. "How far is it?"

"Couldn't say for sure. The northernmost tip of the range sits in… I'd say mid-Pennsylvania, and we're probably near Washington County at the moment."

Again… wow. I was in _Pennsylvania?_ Either Oliver was faster or I had travelled farther than I thought.

"How long do you think it'll take to get there from here?" I asked.

"Walking, probably a day. Maybe two," Cole answered. "If you want, we could help you out."

My eyes widened in shock and gratitude, whereas Chris's widened in uncertainty and awkwardness. He did a few rapid throat slashes and whispered through gritted teeth, "Cole…"

"I'd really appreciate it," I suddenly spoke up, surprising even myself. "All I'll need is some direction and company. If anything gets suspicious, you guys can dump me on the spot. I'll understand."

They looked at each other blankly. Then they smiled and shrugged. "Heck, why not?" Chris snickered.

"Thanks, you guys," I sighed, blushing ever so slightly.

"No probalo," Cole chirped, signaling for us to take off.

As I followed the twins eastward, Chris asked, "Oh, and by the way, what's your name?"

"Natalie."

It was weird. I had a lot more confidence in that one response than I had intended.


	4. Reasons to Go On

**Chapter 4: Reasons to Go On**

What can I say about Chris and Cole? Well, I was definitely thankful for their company, and they were both very… uh… they were… they were _friendly,_ to say the least. And talkative. A little too talkative for comfort for someone as quiet as me. At least, for the most part, they talked about things that I like, like music. Their taste in music was almost the exact same as mine. They liked the classics, like Michael Jackson, Van Halen and Genesis, but they also liked new age music like Skillet and Owl City. I don't know why I'm going off on this of all things, but it was just something really cool about the twins. Of course, whenever they tried to get me to sing, I'd always decline, not knowing what these fractured windpipes of mine would do to a good song.

But one thing I noticed was that they never talked about anything negative. They always acted nicely towards me, which I was appreciative but very suspicious of. What reason would these two have for helping someone like me? I wanted to ask them that, but something else was bugging me in my walk.

"Hey, guys?"

"Yeah?" Chris called to me.

I stopped and turned around. "Considering _you_ guys are leading _me,_ don't you think it would make more sense if you were up front?"

Even if they were a good twenty or thirty yards behind me, I could tell they were both shooting me blank expressions. "Yeah… probably," Cole muttered.

I sighed. Sure, they meant well, but at least this meant that they were at least a _little_ wary about me.

My gaze trailed up to the sky. It had gone dark quite some time ago, and since I didn't have my watch, I guessed that it was going on ten o' clock. I knew I could've and probably should've kept going, but the twins were only human. They needed some time off. "Why don't we stop and rest for the night?" I offered as they walked up to me.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Chris yawned, stretching his arms.

I nodded and looked around for a good place to camp out. Not too far ahead, there was an open area blanketed with clovers and occupied by a few logs, rocks and stones. "I guess this is as good a place as any."

Chris and Cole sat down on one of the logs and slipped off the backpacks they were wearing, checking the contents of each. They had several snack bags, most of which were empty, and a few bottles of Mountain Dew that had all been opened but one. Cole offered me the unopened one, which I politely refused; I'm not a soda drinker… at all. Cole shrugged and put it away again, taking a sip of one of the open bottles- I imagine it must've been flat by that point - while Chris idly chewed a piece of beef jerky.

I let out another sigh. "Not trying to be rude, but when was the last time you two had something decent to eat?"

"A while," Chris responded.

"Well, how about this. Can you guys start a fire?"

"Oh yeah, pretty easily," Cole mumbled.

"Then you guys take care of that and I'll see if I can catch something."

They blinked at me. "Wait…" Chris choked. "You mean you're gonna make us eat like… rabbit or deer or something?"

"Hey, I'm not thrilled either, but we gotta eat _something._"

No sense in arguing there. The twins nodded and started setting up a campfire pit while I took off deeper into the woods.

Well, this was it. My first hunt. I wasn't excited in the least, yet some foreign instinct in me was getting riled up in anticipation. The burning in my throat intensified at the mere thought of blood. But my human brain did its best to reject all this. I was about to hunt, kill and eat a wild animal, and the idea made me want to puke. I just kept telling myself that it had to be done. I was hungry. Chris and Cole were losing energy and rations.

Why did the twins need those rations anyway? What were they doing out here?

I'd ask them after I came back with food. For now, I turned my senses on full power and began tracking down any animal I could find. The first sounds I became aware of were the screeching of bats. I quickly tuned these out; they weren't of any use, plus I hate bats. Then I heard the rapid beating of a tiny heart on the forest floor, and when I matched its scent, I identified it as a rabbit, out late for whatever purpose. It was as good as anything else, so located its origin and formulated my plan.

There was a very gentle breeze blowing my way, which meant I was downwind of it. For the moment, I stuck to the element of surprise, moving as lightly as I could across the forest floor, the clovers and pine needles cushioning my footsteps. I quickly spotted the rabbit not too far ahead; it was facing the other way, remaining unaware of my presence.

Something compelled me to crouch down on all fours, letting my adrenaline build until just the right moment. I stood there, breathing slowly and quietly, muscles tensed and ready to attack. And for one brief moment, I allowed my instincts to take over long enough for me to charge at the rabbit and grab it by the neck before it had a chance to escape. I raked my claws across its neck and it was dead in an instant.

Once it was over, I rested myself on my knees and panted. _Did I really just do that?_ It wasn't so much the fact that I had killed a little rabbit that bothered me, but the animalistic display I put on while doing it. I gulped hard, ashamed and embarrassed, though thankful that the twins didn't see me.

But as I stared at the rabbit carcass in front of me, that one feeling started to come back: bloodlust. It was right there, calling out to me, and those scents- though not as potent as those I smelled on Chris and Cole- were just egging me on. Should I? What would happen if I did? What would happen if I didn't?

There was only one way to find out. After one gag courtesy of my human stomach, I lifted the rabbit up to my mouth and sunk my fangs into the wound I had inflicted.

The reaction was nothing like I would've expected. Upon tasting the first drop of blood, a supernova of flavor exploded in my mouth, like every perfect taste imaginable was comingling in one sweet mixture. It wasn't quite like the tempting scents Chris and Cole carried on them, but nonetheless, my taste buds were alive with indulgence. I felt warm, relaxed, more satisfied than I had ever felt. Everything around me seemed to be drowned out by the flow. My world became one with this irresistible desire, as though nothing mattered more than the blood's gratifying taste.

At some point, though, I broke this train of thought. My human mind kicked in, forcing me to remember what exactly I was doing. I found the will to pull myself away, leaving the carcass with about a quarter of its blood.

And I was glad I did. I felt and more than likely looked like a nightmare, eyes wide in shock, mouth agape and stained with blood. I breathed for a moment and finally calmed myself down. The burning in my throat had subdued, albeit slightly, and the bloodlust was gone. Once I licked all the redness off my mouth and fingers, I stood up, grabbed the rabbit and took off. At least with a little bit of its blood left, it would still have some degree of flavor for Chris and Cole's sake.

One I found an adequate body of water, I skinned, cleaned and gutted the rabbit, which wasn't as long or horrible as I thought it would be. Maybe seeing things like this was getting easier for me. Then I stuck it on a makeshift spit and headed towards our campsite. When I made it back, the twins already had a decent-sized fire going.

"Wow. You guys _are_ pretty good."

"Thanks," Cole replied, warming his hands up by the flames.

"So… a rabbit, huh?" Chris asked.

"Yeah… figured I'd start out slow," I sighed. "This whole hybrid thing is taking some time to warm up to."

While I heated up the rabbit, I decided to ask that nagging question. "So what're you two doing out here anyway? I mean, the last thing I expected to run into was a couple of twin boys wandering around the middle of nowhere."

They looked at me sadly, then turned away. Chris was the first to speak up. "We ran away."

"From home?"

"Sort of…" Cole muttered. "Mostly from boarding school."

That shocked me. Chris and Cole in boarding school? Even if I had only known them for a few hours, that sounded wrong on a number of levels.

"I guess you can say we're out here looking for where we belong," Chris told me.

"Oh…" I prodded at the fire with a stick, my mood quickly dropping. "I guess I can understand that."

"Not on our level," Chris groaned sarcastically, earning an annoyed slap on the arm from his brother.

I shrugged and silently dropped the subject. It wasn't brought up again until after we had finished eating (to my surprise, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be; the rabbit meat almost tasted like chicken).

"Um…" I started slowly. "What compelled you to come out _here_ to find the place where you belong?"

"I guess we just… felt compelled to break away from our old life," Chris answered. "It wasn't where we were meant to be, so we left."

"But what about your family and friends? Don't you think they're worried about you?"

"Our family… that's debatable. Our _friend…_" Cole put great emphasis on the word's singular form. "…already knows what we're doing. We gave him our good-byes before spring break began."

"You mean to tell me you guys have only had one friend your whole lives?" Even for someone as antisocial as me, that sounded awfully hard to believe. Heck, _I've_ had a decent number of friends throughout my life.

But Chris gave me a sincere nod. "Cole and I have always been… social outcasts, so to speak. No one's really accepted us as we are. Eric was one of few who did. He was our roommate at school, a fun yet naïve kinda guy. We got along real easily."

"And then there's Darrell, our stepdad," Cole picked up. "He was probably the only real parental figure we had."

"What about your mom and dad?"

Their simultaneous cringe was impossible to miss. "Mom…" Cole said awkwardly. "She was… _alright._ She looked out for us, sure, but she was often pretty repetitive when she told us that nothing our dad said about us was true. Once we got older, things just weren't the same with her."

My ears drooped. "What did your dad-?"

"C-Can we not talk about him?" Chris nervously interrupted.

Clearly their father was a touchy subject, one that I was willing to drop if it was that painful to them. I nodded politely and let them continue.

"After Mom remarried, things started to look up for us," Chris sighed. "Darrell was a great guy. He really helped us broaden our minds. But over the past few years, he seemed to be slipping into a depression and we didn't know why."

"Other than Eric, he's probably the one most affected by us running away," Cole mumbled. "But we knew we had to do it. There's a calling for us somewhere out there."

I blinked at them, genuinely touched by their story. Part of me just wanted to hug the sad duo, but I held that back for multiple reasons. Compared to the energy and enthusiasm they displayed to me earlier, their lives sounded so empty.

My head went limp with grief. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that must be like."

Cole shrugged. "So what about you? What was your life like before you came out here?"

My eyes stayed locked on the ground while my ears shot up a little. What was I supposed to tell them? Should I mention the part about me being the Popcorn Fairy? Even if they seemed trustworthy enough, would they believe me if I told them?

I looked back at them, ultimately deciding not to say that much. I'd tell them enough of my story to get them up to speed, but that was it.

"Well, I was once somewhat of a social outcast too, though less by others' opinions and more by personal choices. It wasn't until this guy moved to my town from Detroit that I started to come out. Mutt's been great to me, and now we're even boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Awww…" Cole cooed. Chris simply shook his head at his brother's reaction.

"Yes, well… Soon after Mutt moved, we realized he has the power to turn into a wolf. Not like a werewolf, though… more like the wolves from _Twilight._" When they didn't make any wisecracks about the aforementioned series, I continued, "So just recently, two vampires crossed our path to hunt Mutt for his blood. I got caught in the middle of that fight and it ended when one of the vampires, Mutt and I were electrocuted together, resulting in _this._" I spread my arms out as if to show off my bizarre new form.

Chris and Cole both nodded; their willingness to accept every part of my story surprised me. But something was bothering them. I could tell. I was reading confusion and nervousness like it was written all over them.

"So, uh…" Chris rubbed his neck. "You got that way from an electrocution?"

"Apparently," I responded plainly as I looked up and down my arms. "Maybe when I find Sora, she can explain the reasons behind this."

I didn't receive a reply, so I looked up at the twins, who were silently yet awkwardly eyeing each other. Then Cole suddenly spoke up again. "Well, it's been a long day, so why don't we swivel our pocket watches?"

"Swivel our…?" I repeated under my breath as the boys quickly laid down in the clover beds. These two had such weird vocabulary.

"Now promise us you won't prey on us while we're sleeping, okay?" Chris told me once he settled down.

I smiled. "I promise." Though just to be safe, I put a fair amount of distance between the twins and me and laid facing away from them. "'Night, guys."

"'Night, Nat," they both replied.

They were asleep in an instant. It took me a while, but soon my exhaustion took over, the comforting forest sounds lulling me to sleep. And believe it or not, it was one of the most restful nights I ever had.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, miles away from the three of us, two wolves, one tan and one black, were making their way through the forest, just about to cross the Ohio-Pennsylvania boarder, constantly sniffing the ground. They had put quite a bit of distance between each other, but they remained in contact telepathically.<p>

_Found anything?_ Mutt asked.

_I haven't found anything the last twelve times you've asked me,_ Shane snapped. _What the heck makes you think I'm any closer to her now?_

_Hey, lose the attitude, Shane._ Mutt idly sniffed the forest floor. _Besides, this is her scent. It's faint, but it's definitely hers._

_The vampire stench isn't nearly as bad here, but I can still smell a small trace of it._ Shane took another deep whiff, letting out a confused whine. _Come to think of it, why am I smelling _your_ scent?_

_Maybe because we've been travelling together for the past thirteen freaking hours?_ Mutt groaned sarcastically.

_I'm serious, Mutt. That's not your fresh stink I'm smelling. It's like your scent was with her here._

Mutt took another curious sniff, and was surprised to find that Shane was telling the truth. _What the heck…?_

_See, I told you._

_I don't get it. It's like my scent is mingling with hers…_ His eyes trailed up to the night sky, resting on the bright star that only he could see. _What're those vampires trying to hide from me?_

_Don't ask me,_ Shane moaned.

_I_ wasn't_ asking you!_

_Whatever. Can we stop and rest or what?_

_No, we can't stop! If we stop now, the vamps will catch us! Once we find Nat, then you can sleep to your stony heart's content._

_Real nice, Mutt. Real nice._

With that being said, they continued on in silence, blocking out each other's thoughts and focusing on their own. A missing girl, two vampires, and someone they couldn't stand were a little more than Mutt and Shane could handle.

_Gosh darn it, Nat, you better be safe…_

* * *

><p>Sure enough, the werewolf hunters were on the move. They had only been travelling for about an hour, but had nonetheless made good distance, even if they were still far behind Mutt and Shane.<p>

Dr. Hayashi and Oliver hadn't spoken to each other since that morning, something rather common between them. Under any other circumstances, this mutual silent treatment wouldn't be an issue, but tonight Dr. Hayashi just wasn't in the mood for a lack of cooperation. He constantly had to stop or slow down so Oliver could catch up to him, and he had a nagging suspicion that Oliver was being slow on purpose.

He looked over his shoulder; Oliver was a good fifty yards behind him. "Oliver, will you stop slowing us down?"

Even from a distance, he could see that smirk on his son's face. Bragging rights always went to the one who didn't break the silence first.

Dr. Hayashi rolled his eyes and stopped long enough for Oliver to catch up. As soon as he did, he grabbed Oliver by the ponytail, forcing him to run beside him.

"Ack- Dad!" Oliver whined. "I don't get what your problem is!"

"Well, for the time being, _you're_ my problem."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"I know you're slowing us down, Oliver, and I want to know why."

Oliver paused for a moment, merely glaring at his father. "You wanna know why? Well, maybe it's because I don't wanna do this. Maybe it's because those two don't need any more problems to deal with right now."

"Oliver, what have I told you? You can't sympathize with our prey. When that happens, we don't kill, we don't drink, and then we die. Is that what you want?"

"No, but-"

"Then stop being stupid and _move_, will ya?"

Oliver yanked his hair free. "How about _you_ stop being selfish for once in your life?"

"_Excuse_ me?" Dr. Hayashi snapped, clearly offended. "I'm just trying to do what's best for us!"

"No, you're thinking of yourself and dragging me along for the ride like always! You've never even given me the freedom to decide whether I wanna do this or n-"

_**WHAM**_

Without warning, Dr. Hayashi whipped his staff out of his coat and struck Oliver in the face, sending him spiraling back thirty feet and crashing back-first, upside-down into a tree trunk. Oliver let out a long, pained moan, quickly shutting up when he opened his eyes again. His father was giving him… _that_ look. Not the look reserved for their fiercest werewolf prey. This one was much… _much_ worse.

"You insolent… insensitive… ungrateful little _twerp!_ Do you have any idea how much I've sacrificed for you? I've done _everything_ for you! I've taken care of you from the moment you were born! From the moment your mother abandoned us! I didn't have to do that, you know!"

Dr. Hayashi grabbed Oliver by the shirt and yanked him up to his eye level. "So the least you can do is show some gratitude, stop acting weak and listen to what I tell you, because I'm the reason you're even _alive!_ Now get up and don't slow me down, because we're _not_ letting that mangy wolf get away from us! DO YOU UNDERSTAND, OLIVER?"

Oliver just slumped there, seething for the longest time. "Yes…" he finally growled through clenched teeth. "I understand."

Without another sound, Dr. Hayashi shoved Oliver out of his grip and continued running. Oliver had no choice but to follow him.

It just wasn't fair. He wanted to scream. He wanted to explode. He wanted to kill someone… anyone other than Mutt or the Blue Star successor. How could his father treat him like this? Why did he have to be stuck with him? Oliver hated the whole thing. He even partially hated his dad.

But still, he followed after him. Hey, where would he be without that kid?

* * *

><p>The morning sun started to peak above the eastern horizon, shining its warm beams on the sleeping twins. Chris and Cole murmured in their snooze, smiling from the comfort and nuzzling deeper into their bed of clovers. The sight was so cute that half of me regretted having to wake them up.<p>

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauties."

It didn't take long for them to rouse, and soon they were sitting up, stretching and yawning. Cole brushed some grass off his shirt while Chris rubbed his neck, possibly to check that I had kept my promise.

Being the morning person I am, I had woken up long before them and gone blood hunting again. Now that my thirst was partially satisfied, I could focus on the matter at hand. "We've got another long day ahead of us."

"No doubt," Chris chuckled as he cracked his back.

Cole shot to his feet. "Hey, quick question. If you're half vampire, shouldn't the sunlight burn you or make you sparkle or something?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm guessing the possibility of sparkling is out of the question, but I think that vulnerability is diluted because I'm only _half_ vampire. It does hurt a little… kind of itches."

"Ah…"

"Well, are we having breakfast?" Chris asked.

"I already did," I answered. "There's leftover rabbit if you guys want it."

The twins shrugged and opted to snack on the go. Soon we were off again, walking towards the rising sun. I was relieved to see that Chris and Cole had recovered from their depression last night, as they continued to chatter on like they had during yesterday's trek. I just smiled and listened to them, ever thankful that they were willing to stick by me. Heaven knows what would happen to my sanity if I was still alone.

Somewhere along the way, however, I started to think about everyone back at Peach Creek. My family… they obviously knew I was missing. They had to be worried about me. What were they thinking about? Were they looking for me? I really started to miss them. Then there was Shane. Maybe Mutt already told him what had happened. And what if Mutt was following me? What if Shane worked up the courage to come with him? I could only hope.

And somewhere else along the way, when it was about mid-day, something caught my attention. For a moment, I thought something was just giving me a headache, but it felt more like a buzz than a pain. My heart was pounding slightly too. I swore I could remember this feeling, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

What was more powerful than that was the smell that I was suddenly picking up. It had a slightly metallic scent to it, yet also very earthy, like wet rocks or soil. There was also a hint of the hot, unpleasant, gassy smell of a lit Bunsen burner. And all this was tied together in such a way that… No, it couldn't be. My empathy powers hadn't been working quite as well since my transformation. Was I actually _smelling_ anger?

I knew where I had heard these words before. Those were the words Mutt used to describe the scent of Minusions.

I stopped cold and looked at the ground; I could hear it if I listened close enough. It was digging a tunnel beneath our very feet, and it was only then that I realized just how adapted to this job they must've been. Either way, if it had followed me here, I had to take care of it one way or another.

"Chris, Cole, get down."

Despite my calm tone, Chris and Cole dove into the nearby flora as if their lives depended on it. "W-What's going on?" Chris whispered.

"Something's following us," I answered grimly. "And I think I know what it is."

Cole gulped loudly. "Then what-?"

"Shh…"

Upon my order, the boys shut up, allowing me to focus on the nearby sounds. The sound of the Minusion digging had ceased. All I could hear was animal sounds and heartbeats, namely those belonging to Chris, Cole and the closest forest animals. There were no sounds coming from underground for a long time, not even breaths or heartbeats.

A thought popped into my head. Did Minusions even _have_ hearts? Mutt never told me whether or not they did, and it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. After all, aside from the King, they were created entirely by and thrived solely off of Gold Star energy, so creatures that artificial wouldn't have much use for a heart, would they?

Well, the only downside at the moment was that with the dead silence from below, I couldn't pinpoint its exact location. I could still smell it, sure, but its scent was all over.

I also found myself asking why it was so far out here. This had to have been the farthest from Peach Creek a Minusion had travelled as of yet. One obvious answer was that it must have followed me, picking up on the Blue Star.

But my biggest question was this: Why wasn't the Blue Star showing me anything? Why was I depending on my ears and nose to find the Minusion? All the Star was doing was giving me a slight buzz, as if its power had died down.

…Or was being drowned out.

Now I was worried. If what I was thinking was true and the Blue Star was being overpowered by the vampire and werewolf energies, how was I supposed to kill the Minusion? I stuck my hand in my pocket, desperately hoping I was wrong, and clasped my hand around a kernel. I didn't have to look at it to know that nothing was happening.

I gulped hard and tried to reassure myself. Even if I couldn't become the Popcorn Fairy, I still had the Blue Star in me. Maybe there was some way I could still use it using only brute strength.

My ears shot up when I heard it moving again. It was digging, and based on the vibrations and loudening noise, it was digging vertically. Right beneath…

"CHRIS, COLE, _MOVE!_"

The twins jumped in opposite directions in the nick of time. Where they once stood, the earth burst open and out jumped a Minusion Soldier. It landed and crouched down, growling first at Cole, then at Chris, then at me.

"N-Nat…?" Chris stammered.

I bent my knees, narrowed my eyes and gave the Minusion my own warning call. It didn't come out the way I expected, sounding like a strange cross between a deep-throated growl and an airy hiss, but it did its job. The Minusion seemed rather unnerved by my appearance, and I could very faintly make out the message in its sonar…

"_What in the world? This can't be right. Is this really the Blue Star successor?_"

"Yeah, it's me," I responded, holding my arms out. "Why? You want a piece of me?"

Its shock soon faded and it took me up on that offer, charging at me with bared fangs.

I wasn't used to being- for the most part- grounded in battle or depending entirely on short range attacks, so this was like learning how to fight all over again. My first instinct was to jump out of its way, an act that propelled me what felt like ten feet into the air. This newfound agility startled me, but I was fortunately still able to land on my toes.

The Minusion turned my way and charged again. This time I leaped over its head and landed on its back, forcing it down, then I jumped off with a slight twirl and raked my claws along its face. Its howl of pain hurt my ears, the disorientation throwing me off balance. In my stumble, the Minusion scratched me in the stomach; yes, it hurt, but not as much as I expected.

I had enough strength to dive away from another attack and throw myself into a short brawl with it. I couldn't let my drive die down, even if each attack was a stalemate. With each duck, jump and swipe, I found myself aching to sink my teeth into it, but I did my best to ignore this urge. Something else I noticed was that every time the Minusion scratched my skin, moments later the wound would be completely healed.

But what was even stranger than that was that after attacking it enough times, my claws were started to get stained… _orange._

That discovery distracted me long enough for the Minusion to knock me down. My tensed muscles were starting to ache, half out of pain, half out of anxiety. After taking a breather, I let out that strange growl-hiss again, eyeing the grinning creature before me.

And then…

_**ZAP**_

A bolt of lightning shot out of nowhere, electrocuting the Minusion. Once it ceased, it waited for the static to clear out of its fur before turning to the right.

Chris and Cole had emerged from their hiding place, arms raised and brave looks on their faces. The former twin snapped his fingers and waved his hands their way, calling out, "Yeah, you want some of this?"

"Guys, what are you _doing?_" I shouted.

The Minusion growled and crouched down, ready to attack the twins. Before it had a chance, however, Chris raised his half-clenched hands as if in preparation for a strike. All within a second, sparks surrounded the Minusion, and when Chris threw his hands down, the sparks turned into bolts and zapped it again. Then Cole threw a hand out, lightning emerging from his palm, and struck the Minusion with his own hot blasts.

I was in complete shock, no pun intended. What I was seeing was unbelievable. Chris and Cole had… _electrical_ powers?

"Well, don't just sit there!" Cole cried out. "Give us a hand!"

"Ah, right!" I stood back up and rejoined them. With the Minusion thrown off balance, I was able to slash some deep wounds into it, the shocks from the leftover static being the farthest thing from my mind.

But I knew it wouldn't do any good. I had to inflict it with the Blue Star if we were going to see the end of it. The question was _how?_

The swinging claws, rigorous jumping and electric flashes seemed to go on forever until I received a hard scratch on the arm. The force was enough to drive me to my knees, and while down, out of curiosity, I watched as my skin stitched itself back together, but not before a trickle of blood dripped out and slid down to my elbow.

And that's when I got an idea.

"I got it from here, guys!" I called to the twins. They immediately stopped their zapping and backed off.

With all my might, I threw myself at the Minusion, making myself an open target. I ignored Chris and Cole's worried cries, instead focusing on finding the right place to get scratched without risking my life. Anywhere near my neck was out. I finally opted to let it go for my left arm, jumping forward and throwing it out as if in self-defense.

Sure enough, the Minusion lunged forward and bit down hard into my arm. I didn't scream- though the twins did. Now that I was where I needed to be, I had to act fast before the wound healed.

I swung around and perched myself on the Minusion's back, yanking my arm free in the process. I squeezed the fleshy part to draw as much blood as possible; at the same time, I satisfied my killer instinct by biting down into the Minusion's jugular. I did my best to hold my breath, not wanting to inhale the foul-smelling blood. And as I dug deeper, I found that the orange stains on my claws did in fact come from its blood. Rivers of the thick, orange fluid were pouring from the open veins.

Finally, I tore my mouth away and dumped my own crimson blood into the wound. There came an assuring sizzle; flecks of black and gold jumped out like the sparks of an igniting fire. The Minusion cried in pain as the Blue Star energy in my blood burned in from the inside out. Once the flow stopped and my arm healed, I simply pressed against the back of its neck, digging my claws in deeper.

Eventually, the exhausted Minusion collapsed. Its body started to shatter from beneath me until it crumbled completely into dust, which retreated into the earth as always.

I panted, worn out but not completely tired. That was _not_ easy, and while I was thankful it was over, I was also praying that I would never have to do it again. The next time I saw one of those things, I could only hope I could use my wings in the fight.

In the silence, I found myself sniffing the air. The Gold Star scent was still present, and it wasn't leftover from the orange blood stains on my hands or the ashes retreating back to their source. No, there was another Minusion beneath our feet, but my senses told me it was retreating. Probably just an Adjunct that had observed the fight and was now leaving to report back to the King. Whatever the case, I was too whipped to debate its importance.

I thought about the blood again. That sickly orange blood that I desperately wanted to wash off of me. Was the Gold Star so potent in the Minusions that it had lightened the color of their blood?

My train of thought was cut off by Cole's voice. "What the _CRAPTAKE was that?_"

After a slight cringe, I looked up and the boys and got back on my feet. "That was a Minusion."

"A what now?" Chris muttered.

I sighed. _Might as well tell them…_ "Guys, apparently there are things we didn't tell each other last night. To put my story simply, that creature is part of an army that seeks to gain dominance over humans. Minusions have the power of something called the Gold Star and are led by the King Minusion. I have the power of the Blue Star, making me their equal opposite, and it's my duty to stop them. I just couldn't use the Blue Star because it's being overpowered by the vampire and werewolf energy in me."

"Whoa…"

"Sweetcakes…"

"Can we find some water for me to wash my hands off with?" I asked sheepishly.

"Oh, sure," Chris replied as we turned and started walking again.

"In the meantime, why don't you guys explain that display of yours to me?"

They fell silent for a long time. Eventually, Cole looked back at me, looking rather worried. "Nat… you don't think we're freaks, do you?"

"No more than I am," I answered honestly.

Cole sighed, nodding to Chris, who then began, "Our powers are just something we were born with. We didn't know for a long time; heck, Mom just told us about them a few weeks ago when they fully developed and we used them for the first time."

After taking in my silence, Cole added, "I guess that's part of the reason we're out here. We've never been accepted, not even by our own father. We just wanna be somewhere we can be useful. And liked."

My ears drooped in sorrow. "Your… father…?"

"He never treated us like his kids!" Chris snapped. "He only saw us as freak kids with superpowers. And would you believe me if I told you he even tried to kill us?"

My ears then went from flat to vertical. "He… He really…? Oh, guys, I'm-"

And just like that, Chris and Cole fell on me, wrapping me in a hug and burying their faces in my torn shirt. The act surprised me, but I eventually gave in and exchanged the embrace. They were so… broken. And I understood their pain.

Or did I? When my identity was revealed to the public, everyone was welcoming and grateful for me. Chris and Cole had been shunned. No, I _didn't_ understand it, and part of me knew that I never could.

I managed a smile. "If it makes any difference, what you did back there was plenty useful to me."

They looked back up at me with those bright hazel eyes of theirs. "You mean that?" Cole asked.

"Of course." I chuckled a little. "Maybe we ran into each other for a reason. Maybe I'm helping you guys as much as you're helping me."

That got them both smiling. "Yeah, maybe…" Chris laughed.

The three of us exchanged a moment of silence and smiles before I said, "What say we keep moving?"

Chris and Cole nodded in a agreement, then we continued our journey eastward. I honestly did believe we were all together for a good reason. These two had something great in store for them. I just knew it.


	5. And Then There Were Five

**Chapter 5: And Then There Were Five**

_Voices…?_

I tried to convince myself that I was just going crazy, as I had been for a while now, but I couldn't deny it. There were voices in my head, and they weren't mine. I looked all around the sunset-painted forest for reasons I didn't quite understand, especially since the only living things nearby were Chris and Cole…

…who were, of course, shooting me weird looks. "You okay?" Chris asked hesitantly.

"Oh, uh…" I cleared my dry throat. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Kinda spaced out on us…" Cole chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry. Now what were you saying?"

Chris smiled and picked up where he left off on the story they were telling me. "Alright, so everyone's dancing along now. Cole and I were just letting loose, and I swear Eric was trying to start a conga line or something!"

"The song was a little over halfway done when the teachers showed up, but we didn't notice until our names were shouted," Cole picked up. "Then Chris and I fell on each other, crashed into a light and _BAM!_ There go all the lights."

"And that was the first time you guys used you powers?" I asked.

"Unintentionally, yes," Chris answered. "That's why we kinda flipped out when you told us that you turned into that by being electrocuted-"

His voice soon started to go in one ear and out the other. I was tuning back into those foreign voices ringing in my brain. It was weird… I felt like I knew these voices somehow…

_Alright, alright, calm down. Are you sure?_

_Yes I'm sure! Didn't you smell the Gold Star back there?_

_How should I know? I don't know what it smells like!_

_Fine, whatever. But I'm telling you, she was here. This is her scent._

_But why is it so faint?_

_I don't know, okay? I just don't know!_

It started to come together. Telepathy, knowledge of the Gold Star, non-stop bickering…

Mutt and Shane.

I sharply turned around, silently forcing the twins to stop. "Nat, are you sure you're okay?" Chris asked again.

"I'm not sure," I replied, hushed. "I think we're being followed."

"Again?" Cole yelped worriedly.

"Yeah, but I don't think it's anything bad this time."

"Oh… Then what is it?"

I didn't answer that right away. After a while, I made my decision and turned back to the twins. "You two lay low for a minute. I'll be right back."

They nodded without question and found a patch of greenery to rest in.

I then started walking westward, a change of pace that felt strange to me after walking east for two days. But I had to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. I had to make sure they were out there.

If they were, what would they say about my hybrid form? My guess was that Mutt would be far from happy and Shane would be freaked out beyond compare. Whatever the case, I was sure they'd come with me to Blue Ridge if it meant turning me back to normal, even if I was putting my trust in the Hayashis.

And to think that in this form I could hear their telepathic messages! Quite an advantage if I do say so myself. But was it one- or two-way? Could they hear me? Part of me doubted it; if they could hear me, they would've said something by now.

I let out a little sigh, came to a stop and focused on the wolves' minds.

_Shane, stay where you are,_ Mutt firmly ordered.

_Why? What's the problem __**now?**_ Shane grumbled.

_I think I smell a vampire._

_You _think_ or you _know?

_Well, whatever it is, it has vampire stink to it._

"Oh, crap…" I said to myself. He was smelling _me._ I tried to back off a little while maintaining my focus.

_I'm gonna go check it out. Don't come until I tell you,_ Mutt continued.

_Can't make any promises,_ Shane replied.

The next thing I knew, Mutt's mind became an amalgam of different thoughts, all of them involving some kind of attack on whatever smelled like a vampire. That's when I panicked and ran.

I couldn't believe it. My Star Wolf boyfriend was about to maul me if not worse. Couldn't he smell my natural scent? Did he have no idea it was me? Apparently not, because he just kept coming, and my newfound speed was slowed by my panic.

Soon I passed the spot where I had left Chris and Cole, their confused shouts flying over my head. Then I heard them scream when the tan wolf emerged. Then I was being tackled and pinned to the ground.

"AAH! MUTT, STOP! IT'S ME, NATALIE! _STOP!_"

Mutt froze up for a long time, watching me squirm with wide eyes. He finally backed off, putting some distance between us. His mind was an utter blank.

I sat up and unhooked my glasses from my shirt, letting out a quiet, "Aw, man…" The frame was bent, but fortunately not broken. Then I put them back and looked up at Mutt, my expression awkward and unreadable.

"Hi."

Mutt blinked, took a step closer and tilted his head. _Natalie? But how…? What happened to…?_

I stood up and held my hands out. "Mutt… It's a long story."

We both turned towards Chris and Cole as they crept out of their hiding place. "Nat, who is this?" Chris spoke up.

At the sight of the twins, Mutt asked himself- and me, unintentionally- the same question.

"Guys, this is Mutt. Mutt, this is Chris and Cole."

"Oh, so you're her wolf boyfriend," Cole chimed.

Millions of thoughts toppled around Mutt's mind until he eventually had to turn and run off.

"W-Wait, where's he going?" Cole stuttered.

"He's just going to change into his human form," I answered.

"And he couldn't do that here?"

"I don't think he'd want us to see him naked." Again. I couldn't help but snicker at that memory.

A little ways away, Mutt sent a message to Shane, telling him to change and meet up with him. Before he could give his reason, he changed back and his thoughts faded out of my head. A minute or so later, he was back with us, clothed in his usual black shorts.

And he looked… horrified. "Nat?"

"Yeah, it's me," I sighed.

He slowly stepped up to me and held my face, looking me over. Only then did I notice just how much of a growth spurt I went through; we were almost the same height.

"What… _happened_ to you?"

"Remember the fight at the mill?"

"Of course."

"When you, Oliver and I were electrocuted together, your energies fused with mine and… well… now I'm a hybrid."

Mutt let go of me and moved away a few feet. "A hybrid?"

"Mutt!" Shane ran up to us, human and fully clothed sans shoes and socks. "Thanks for leaving me on a- HOLY…!"

"Shane, it's me," I calmly told him.

His eyes, no surprise, widened. "Natalie?"

I groaned and dropped my head into my hands. I was getting _really_ tired of having to explain this. "Yes, I'm a vampire-werewolf hybrid! Oliver brought me out here so I could find his cousin and get turned back to normal!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Mutt cut in. "Oliver? As in Oliver Hayashi?"

"Yes."

"He told you his cousin can change you back."

"Yep."

"And you believe him?"

"Do I have any other choice?"

Mutt's mouth curved into an awkward frown. "Nat… I don't trust them. I understand the position you're in, and you need to understand that those vampires are following me-"

"_What?_" Chris yelped, eyes darting around in panic. "You're leading the vampires here?"

"Calm down, will ya?" Mutt groaned. "They're obviously not following us _now,_ when it's still bright out!" He turned back to me and continued, "All I'm trying to say is… what if this is all a trap?"

"After all the trouble Oliver went to, I seriously doubt it's a trap," I replied. "And even if it is, I'm willing to walk into it if there's still a possibility of being turned back to normal."

"Besides, we won't walk into any traps," Cole chided smoothly as he walked up to us. "With our brains and our skills, we're poetry in motion." His point was contradicted when he tripped over a loose root, falling on Chris and sending them both crashing to the ground.

Mutt stared at them for a long time. As if anticipating a rude comment from him, I quickly spoke up, "Chris and Cole have been helping me out along the way. Guiding me, keeping me company… plus a Minusion showed up earlier and they helped me beat it."

He was still silently watching Chris and Cole pick themselves up. I didn't know what to make of his expression, which upset me for a while. Then I couldn't help but jump slightly when Mutt wrapped me in a warm embrace, burying his face in my hair.

"M-Mutt…?"

"I'm just… so glad you're okay," he whispered.

"Me too," Shane agreed, smiling at me but keeping his distance. I told myself that he just didn't want to cut in, using this thought to block out what was probably the real reason for avoiding me.

I returned Shane's smile and Mutt's hug, realizing only then just how much I missed them both, especially Mutt.

"I made it this far," I breathed silently.

"Without my help," Mutt added, clearly proud of me.

"I wouldn't say that." My ears drooped. "I never stopped thinking about you."

Mutt chuckled and released the hug. "Well, then, it looks like all you needed was some _motivation._"

All I could do was smile.

"Nat, if you're up to it, then we'll go. After all we've been through, we might as well keep going."

"Thanks, Mutt." I looked over his shoulder. "Whadya say, Shane? You willing to stick with us a little longer?"

"I don't see why not," he answered casually. "A little excitement never hurt."

I giggled a little and turned to the twins. "Boys?"

"Hey, we've been here since day one, so _poot_ yeah, we're going!" Chris cheered.

"And from the look of things, Blue Ridge can't be too far," Cole added. "We should be there in no time!"

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's hit it!" Mutt laughed, signaling for us to take off.

And so we all followed, finally back together. It didn't matter where we were, what had happened to us, or even that there were two crazy vampires following us. What mattered was that we were together again. Joy seemed like an insignificant word to describe how it felt to be reunited with Mutt and Shane. With Chris and Cole there with us, I felt strong. Unstoppable. I felt _whole._ These guys were my supporters, my friends, my teammates.

Teammates…

That's when I thought of something.

"Hey guys?"

Everyone gave me a little response. Once I had their attention, I said, "Mutt, you've obviously been with me since the day we met. Shane, we're friends, and you came all this way with Mutt of all people… just for my sake. And Chris and Cole, you've been so helpful to me, and we even said that we ran into each other for a reason. Let's face it, we could all work well together, and I need people willing to stand by me in this fight. So… do you guys wanna team up with me when this blows over?"

"Are you kidding?" Cole laughed encouragingly. "That'd be freakin' _awesome!_"

"Count us in!" Chris added.

"Nat, I think you know what my answer is," Mutt chuckled.

I smiled and nodded before turning to the fifth party member. "Shane?"

He didn't look as sure as the others. After a long pause, he lowered his gaze. "I don't know."

My smile fell. "Aw, come on, Shane. You've been a big help, both as a human and a wolf. You have talent… talent that could really be useful."

"Thanks, but…" Shane sighed. "I'll think about it."

I didn't say any more. This was common behavior out of Shane, so I would give him all the time he needed to make his choice. At least Mutt and the twins were on my side, and I knew Shane was too in the long run. But first things first: we had to get to Blue Ridge before the vampires.

* * *

><p>Conversations with Mutt, Chris and Cole kept me mentally occupied throughout much of the trip. All day, all we did was walk and talk, only stopping for food and rest once. By the time the sun was down, we had discussed everything from our individual powers, to the different effects the vampire and werewolf energies had on me, to antics from Chris and Cole's past, to a certain little topic of Mutt's that I couldn't help questioning.<p>

"A motorcycle license?"

"Hey, it could happen," he chided, throwing a rock into a patch of trees and sending birds flying in all directions. "I need a cool way to get around outside my wolf form, and Dad needs that truck more than I do."

I smirked. "Well, I'm not much of a motorcycle fan, but hey, whatever boats your float."

"Don't you m-?" Chris started to ask before he caught on and laughed at my commonly-used spoonerism.

The lack of energy that laugh held, plus the fact that we had all slowed down quite a bit, told me that the guys were getting tired. Considering Mutt and Shane skipped sleeping last night and the twins didn't have much physical energy to burn in the first place, we needed to stop and rest, even if it meant closing some space between us and the Hayashis.

"Guys, why don't we stop and rest?" I suggested.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Mutt asked.

"Mutt, I know there are vampires after you, but I think some sleep would be beneficial, whatever the cost."

Chris and Cole didn't look so sure, but even still, they were easy to convince. The moment we found a comfortable campsite, the twins plopped into the grass, curled up and fell asleep in nothing flat. I had to smile at that. _They've been working hard._

Even without their expert fire-sparking talents, the remaining three of us managed to get a decent campfire going. Mutt and I hunted separately, each bringing back our own kill (mine half-drained of blood, of course). Soon we had a rabbit and two squirrels cooking over the fire, which Mutt and Shane surprisingly weren't complaining about. I didn't question this. After all, they had to eat _something_ on their journey as wolves.

We didn't talk while we ate, which really unnerved me. I expected this kind of silence from Shane, but if Mutt was being quiet, something had to be up. Once I felt satisfied with my dinner, I wrapped up the leftovers and finally spoke up.

"Guys… Do you think this whole thing is… weird?"

"Of course it is," Mutt answered with half-hearted humor. "But what _isn't_ weird about us?"

"Yeah, I know, but…" I curled my legs up and rested my chin on my knees. "Are you guys, like… _avoiding_ me?"

"Why would I be doing that?" Mutt spoke for himself.

I looked up at him sadly. "I don't know. Because I'm half you and half what's trying to kill you?"

Mutt looked genuinely hurt by my question, but I didn't try to redirect it. I wanted a response one way or another. My gaze roamed over to Shane, finding him facing away and as silent as ever. Then I turned back to Mutt the moment he placed his hand on my arm, properly shocking me.

"Nat… It doesn't matter to me. Sure, the way you look is… _odd,_ but I don't care. You're still _you._ Despite everything else you've had to do to survive out here- including dragging those two lightning bolts along- you haven't changed inside. That's all that matters to me."

It took me a moment to work up a smile. I knew Mutt meant it, so it was enough to calm me down. "Thanks."

"Of course."

We both looked at Shane again, prompting a scowl out of Mutt when he still refused to look at us.

I sighed. "We should get some rest. One of us could stand guard in case the vampires show up."

"Believe me, that's not necessary," Mutt chuckled. "That scent could wake me up from miles away."

A question popped into my mind when he said that. "Mutt, do I smell different to you?"

He practically answered before I even finished talking. "A little. The wolf and vampire scents are a little weak, mixed in with your natural scent. I think it's not as bad since you didn't get that way through bites."

"Hm…" To be honest, I hadn't thought about that. Just another thing to ask Sora.

Mutt stood up. "If you don't mind, I'd rather sleep in wolf form."

"That's fine."

As Mutt walked off to change in privacy, I turned back to my silent friend. "Shane…?"

"Don't worry about me," he finally spoke up. "It's not worth the effort." Then he stood and walked away without another word.

Those few words hurt in a way that I couldn't describe. Moreover, I didn't understand what Shane meant. Was he saying he wasn't good enough for my team-to-be? That he had no value whatsoever?

If that was the case, he had no idea just how wrong he was.

* * *

><p>I woke up with a startled jump, my routine nightmare coming to its abrupt end and pushing me back into reality. It had been such a long time since I had that nightmare, the one I had night after night so many months ago, where King Minusion destroys my somehow-weakened body in one blow… but it was becoming so prominent in my psyche that I had come to expect it. I tried not to let it impact me too much, especially not now. Not while I had so much to worry about.<p>

I looked down at Mutt. I had been leaning on him in our sleep, and surprisingly, my shock hadn't woken him. He just laid there on his stomach, muzzle buried in his paws, chest rising and falling in even, soothing breaths. Chris and Cole were still fast asleep too, curled up with each other in an all-too-cute manner.

Shane was still gone.

For some reason, I didn't want to go back to sleep. I wasn't tired. I didn't care how late it was. So I decided to go look for Shane.

I stood up as quietly as possible and sniffed the air, pausing for a moment to take in the fresh scent of the wolf lying at my feet. Then I picked out Shane's scent, trying to describe it as I followed it. Crisp leaves, sweet dandelions, running water… It was nice. Pleasant, even. I liked it.

I found him in a small, open field, half-buried by the plants, leaning against a tree, and staring into space. He more than likely knew I was there, but he didn't turn to acknowledge me.

"Have you slept at all?" I asked him.

It took him a moment to answer, "Yeah, a little. You?"

"Yeah. I'm not really tired, though. Must just be the energies' influence."

Shane simply nodded.

I sat down in front of him, wrapping my arms around my legs in my usual manner. "Shane, could you tell me what's on your mind?"

He didn't respond.

"Don't tell me not to worry about you, Shane. I just can't do that."

Still nothing.

"Does it have to do with my hybrid form?"

"Partially," he sighed. He finally looked at me. "How can you stand being like that?"

I raised an eyebrow and looked down at myself. "It's actually not as bad as you'd think. I'm still not completely used to it, but I've forced myself not to let it bother me, knowing I'll be normal again soon."

Shane let out a stiff exhale. "Yep… I guess that's one thing you have to look up to that I don't."

My ears perked up in realization. "Is _that_ what's bothering you? That I can accept this form so much easier than you can accept yours?"

"Again, partially."

I frowned. "Shane, can't you trust me? I'm only trying to help you." Not sure what kind of effect it would have on him, I got up, inched myself right next to him and sat back down. "It's just us, and I'll listen to whatever you need off your chest."

It didn't really surprise me when Shane only gave me silence. Then he blew his cheeks out and- for once- looked directly at me.

"Nat, we're friends, right?"

"Of course we are."

"Well… _why?_"

Now _that_ was something I didn't expect. _Why_ were we friends? Seemed like there should be an obvious answer, but still, what was I supposed to tell him? There were plenty of reasons why we were friends.

"Because we need each other," I ultimately replied. "You need me to support you through this difficult burden you've been given, and I need you because… you have the potential to help me and so many others, whether you know it or not, and I need your talents to…"

"What talents?" he cut in. "What can I do besides turning into some bloody wolf whenever I flip out?"

"Well, what about the behind-the-scenes work you did at the football stadium? You helped to protect the other students and get them to safety. You're a quick thinker, you can stand up when you have to, and you care so much about the wellbeing of those around you. I've seen it from the start, Shane. You have a good heart. You just… don't know where it is right now."

That sad look in his eyes told me that I must've said something right. "Yeah… I guess so."

I nodded slightly. "I think the biggest issue here is confidence. I lacked it once… heck, I still do in a way. But you have to believe in yourself, Shane. You have to believe that you _are_ worth something. That you have something to contribute, not just to my cause, but to the world. I'm here for you, I promise you that… but this is _your_ fight. Your call."

Shane finally gave me a smile. "I think you're right."

"You _know_ I'm right." I smiled back. "It'll come in time, even adapting to the wolf. You'll get the hang of it soon."

He looked back up at the stars, perhaps watching his own star. "Natalie… I think I'll take you up on your offer."

"You mean my offer to join the team?"

"What the heck? If I'm gonna get better at this, I might as well have a cause."

Ecstasy. That's a good word to describe what I felt when hearing Shane say that. "Thank you."

"Thank _you,_" he responded, standing up and hoisting me up with him. "Well, it's late. We should get back to sleep."

"Yeah, we probably should," I agreed as we started walking back to the campsite.

I suppose there really is a great feeling you get from helping someone, especially a friend in need. I think that's why these four boys were so important to me, because they all needed me in some way… just as much as I needed them. These mutual ties held me close to them, ties that I wouldn't easily let break. And now that my team was finally coming together, I had never felt so close to someone than I had right then and there.

Team Popcorn. I liked the sound of that.

_Wait…_

"Hey Shane?" I spoke up when something came to mind.

"Yeah?"

"That night when the Queen Minusion attacked… who opened the gate to let the students out?"

"Oh, I did." Shane smirked. "You'd be surprised. I'm a _really_ good lock picker."

"Ah… Well, good. Just wondering."

So Dengen didn't open the gate. That meant, in the long run, he did nothing but save his own skin.

Just what I needed: more questions about Dengen.

"Nat, hold up." Shane lightly shoved his hand into my chest, forcing me to stop. "Do you smell that?"

Without thinking twice, I sniffed the air. A breeze was blowing in from the west, carrying an oddly alluring scent. I could only describe it like the sensation of walking into Shane's family's winery and a Bath & Body store at the same time. I might've liked it, but it looked as though the scent was burning Shane's nose.

That's when I got it.

"The vampires."

For a long time we could only stare at each other. Then we jumped into action and dashed back towards the camp. We had to move, and we had to move _now._

The moment we burst through the trees I shouted, "Guys, wake up! We gotta go!"

Mutt was instantly awake and on his paws while the twins only stirred for a moment. _I thought I smelled those bloodsuckers!_ Mutt shouted in his mind.

"Chris, Cole, get up!" I anxiously yelled, trying to shake them awake.

"Two more hours, Mom…" Chris whined groggily.

I knew I would regret what I was about to say next. Chris and Cole had told me the story of their father's attempt to kill them along our journey, so I figured if it did the job once, it might be the only thing to wake them up now. "Guys, KNIFE!"

The twins then screamed, shot up and scrambled over each other, eventually calming down on their own accord.

"Well, that worked," Shane murmured, confused by the sight.

"Nat, don't _do_ that!" Cole protested.

"Sorry, but I had to get you awake somehow!" I responded. "The vampires are catching up to us!"

"I thought we already established that," Chris plainly said.

"Yes, but now they're downwind of us! As in they could be just minutes away!"

"_Yousaywhatnow?_" Cole yelped. "Well, we gotta put the gravy to the train!"

"I know!" I shouted, though I wasn't entirely sure what Cole had just said.

"I'll go change. You four get moving and I'll catch up!" Shane yelled over his shoulder as he disappeared into the forest.

Mutt was shocked by Shane's unexpected move. _He's actually _willing_ to be a wolf?_

But I could only smile. He was already catching on. "Let's go."

_Right._ Mutt and I took off in a sprint, continuing eastward towards the mountains.

"Hey!" Chris shouted. "What about _us?_"

"Your electrical powers!" I reminded them. "You guys can zap from place to place in an instant!"

After I said that, they were too far back for us to speak, but I apparently got the message across. The twins appeared in a bolt of lightning just a few feet in front of us and we passed them a split second later. Then they reappeared, we passed them, they reappeared, we passed them, over and over.

Shane caught up to us about a minute later, his wolf features expressing a drive I hadn't seen in him before. After exchanging a smile with the wolves on each of my sides, we pushed ourselves to the limit. We didn't know how far we were going, and yet we didn't care. We just kept running and zapping east.

* * *

><p>The journey didn't even last an hour.<p>

"This is it!" Cole declared as we passed them once again.

We cleared the trees and found ourselves heading towards an upward incline lined with trees and other flora. Out over the horizon I could see it: the beautiful mountainous region reaching towards the starry, moonlit sky, a wondrous sight that forced a smile out of me.

"Blue Ridge…"

_Rgh… There's vampire stink everywhere!_ Mutt complained.

_Well, that's good and bad,_ Shane offered nervously. _If there are vampires already here…_

"…Then Sora has to be around here somewhere," I concluded. "Let's split up and see what we can find!"

_Can do,_ Mutt cheered as the three of us broke our ranks; Mutt turned southward, Shane north, and I stayed on my eastward path.

"Chris, Cole!" I shouted. "If you find something that could help us, send up some sparks!"

"No probalo, Nat!" they called back.

Now that we all had a means of communication, I was left to search high and low for any signs of vampires. All I could detect for far too long was their scent, which was prominent yet seemed to be _masked_ by the forest scents, all except for the Hayashis' scent still blowing in from the west. Mutt and Shane's minds held no favorable images, and the only electricity I could see was the twins zapping around in the form of lightning bolts. Everything about the situation made me antsy and all the more desperate.

At last, a large spark shot up from the north and turned into a crackling fireworks display. My hopes rose as I followed it, trying to pick up my pace just in case we were attracting attention. Mutt caught up and Shane met us halfway, and we finally found Chris and Cole standing on a ledge about halfway up the northernmost tip of the mountain. Behind them was a small, vertical section of rock wall surrounded by bushes and weeds.

"What do you guys make of this?" Cole asked.

_They brought us here for _this? Shane grumbled skeptically.

_Now hold on…_ Mutt lifted his nose and sniffed. _The scent is strongest here._

I gave the air a good whiff of my own. Sure enough, the vampire scent was most prominent and outward in this spot. "Yeah, it is strong… Good job, guys."

The twins smiled and waved in mock modesty.

"Not only that…" My right ear twitched slightly. "Does anyone else hear this… high ringing noise?"

They all quieted down and listened. _Yes,_ Mutt replied. _I do._

Curiously, I walked forward, swerving around the twins in search of the sound's source. It came in an unusual form when I pushed a few hanging weeds aside and found a small slit in the rock wall, a bright red light emitting from inside it. "What the…?"

Chris and Cole joined me in staring at the ringing light while Mutt and Shane ran off to change. "The crud-crap is that?" Chris questioned.

"I'm not sure," Cole mumbled. He experimentally leaned in and looked directly into the slit, jumping when the red light shot out and scanned his eye, only to have it reject him with a tiny buzzing noise.

"Wait…" I spoke up. "The vampire scent… seems to be coming from _inside_ the mountain. So what if this is their means of entering?"

"If that's the case, how do we get in?" Cole wondered.

"Let me try." I didn't know how this worked, but if it was looking for a vampire eye, I could give it that.

Just as Mutt and Shane returned as humans, I gazed into the glowing slit, letting the red light scan my eye. And sure enough, rather than a buzz, there was a loud _clunk_ as cracks formed in the rock wall and slid open like double doors.

"_Awesome…_" the twins breathed.

We all looked inside, finding that the mountain's interior looked just like the hallway of a hotel. Painted walls, intricate carpeting, all carrying a swirled, red-white-and-black design. Albeit the dim lighting, it looked rather nice.

Mutt cringed his nose. "Oh yeah, there are vamps in here."

"Then we'll have to be careful," I muttered.

"You three go in," Chris offered. "We can stand watch out here."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Shane asked.

"Hey, those two are wolf hunters," Mutt responded. "I doubt they'll waste their energy on these two."

I sighed. That had to be far from encouraging to the twins. "Just be careful, you two. If anything happens, zap in here and call for us."

"Right-left-you bet," Cole chimed, shooting us a salute.

That at least made me smile as Mutt, Shane and I stepped into the hallway, letting the doors close behind us.

There was definitely a thick cloud of vampire scent all around, but my inexperience kept me from picking through it. It all smelled the same to me, so even if I could remember the Hayashis' particular scent, I wouldn't be able to find it in there. So I just randomly decided to go right and started walking.

"So how are we supposed to find this cousin of Oliver's?" Mutt asked, trying to keep quiet and avoid detection.

"I wish I knew," I sighed flatly. "Oliver didn't give me very many details."

We continued to move in silence, scanning the hall and the numbered doors that lined it. We were in the 400 section, and I was finding myself angry at Oliver. He could've at least told me Sora's room number!

Then we froze when a door opened and the apartment's resident stuck his head out. His hair was a short, slick black, his red eyes were darkened, and his expression and appearance were far from welcoming. He did our best to keep still as he stormed up to us, speaking threateningly in a foreign language that I guessed was Italian.

The commotion attracted another vampire's attention, this one tall with ashy blond hair. He stalked up behind us, helping the other vampire cut off our escape routes, and spoke only one sentence in English: "Adriano, who are these kids?"

The Italian vampire started to lash out, throwing his hands all over the place as he and the blond vampire questioned our presence.

We took on defensive stances and did our best to quell the argument. "Please…" I said. "We mean no harm."

"Ci sono buone," Shane backed me up, impressing me with his knowledge of their language.

"You speak Italian?"

"A little… Not enough to understand everything they're saying…"

"Nice," Mutt groaned.

Adriano shouted a threat at us loud enough to scare all three of us senseless. Then both vampires started to close in on us, hissing ferociously. We stood our ground, ready to fight if it came to that. Mutt growled at the blonde vampire, Shane grabbed his shirt in preparation to yank it off, I bared my claws and fangs, letting out that growl-hiss of mine…

…and a new voice stopped the whole ordeal.

"Adriano! Valentino!"

The vampire's tough demeanor faded at the sound of a female voice, it owner no doubt younger than them. Mutt, Shane and I calmed down enough to look around Adriano to find the voice's owner.

It was a teenage vampire, more than likely a year older than I was, with medium-long, dark brown hair tied in a low ponytail, a violet blouse, black pants and combat boots. Her hands were on her hips and she was shooting the two vampires a displeased look far more mature than her years.

"Cosa stai facendo?" the girl questioned sharply.

"Questi tre odore come lupi. Non dovrebbero essere qui," Adriano replied, trying to sound just as stern.

"Tu non sai nemmeno quello che vogliono! Sicuramente vogliono dire nulla di male!"

While the three vampires argued in Italian, I tilted my head and studied the girl. She held such high confidence when confronting these two despit ebeing so much younger than them, and she didn't hold back when chastizing them. Such a strong union… I admired it.

Eventually the girl ordered them away and the other two vampires retreated back to their appartments. After shooting each of them a definate look, she approached us with a smile. "Sorry about that. Now, uh, who are you guys?"

Mutt scowled a bit and took a step back; I couldn't blame him for not trusting a vampire. And with Shane still in a stunned silence, I was left to answer, "My name's Natalie, this is Mutt, and this is Shane. We came here looking for someone… named Sora Hayashi."

"Oh. Well, you found me!" she laughed.

"_You're_ Sora?" I looked her over again. "How… did I not see that coming?"

Sora giggled a little, a drastic change from the mood she displayed only seconds ago. "Why don't we step into my apartment and talk? I'm sure this oughta be an interesting story."

"Thanks," I breathed with relief as she led us down the hall.

Finally, my salvation. My chance to rid myself of these foreign energies and be my normal self again. Somehow this rested in the hands of a teenage vampire, and somehow it was waiting for me behind the door of apartment 410.


	6. Nobody's Home

**Chapter 6: Nobody's Home**

It's probably safe to say that morale was low on the twins' end of the group. While we were inside the mountain, Chris and Cole continued to stand guard by the entrance, waiting for the werewolf-hunting vampires to arrive. Exhaustion and fear were overcoming them, though the former was more prominent in Cole while the latter worked its way into Chris's expression.

They paced like soldiers on the small ledge to help them stay focused, sparking up short conversations here and there. "So what're we supposed to do if they show up?" Chris asked. "Do we just go right inside or should we let them come to us first?"

"Well, you heard the guys," Cole replied. "There are vampires all over. If any confront us, we might as well figure out if they're the ones we're worried about before we go in."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

"Okay, then, if you have a better idea, tell me!"

Logically, Chris didn't have a response.

"Right. So just relax, will ya, Chris? If worse comes to worst, we can just zap them eight ways to Tuesday."

"Yeah…" Chris agreed unconvincingly. "Yeah, we can handle this. We can… handle… two bloodsucking demons…" He then burst out into loud, horrified laughter, quickly turning himself into a sweaty, petrified mess.

He came to an abrupt stop when Cole slapped him in the face. "Christopher Aaron Mitchell, get ahold of yourself! We've gone through some serious chiz together! We're _Supers,_ for the love of all that is awesome! We can handle a couple of vampires! Now tell me: What are we?"

Chris hesitated before sheepishly replying, "…The Soylent Green?"

"Oh, come on. What was _that?_ Say it like you mean it!"

"We are the Soylent Green."

"Louder!"

"We are the Soylent Green!"

"Louder!"

"WE ARE THE SOYLENT GREEN!"

Hey, I wasn't there to ask, so feel free to question it all you like.

With their motivation back, Chris and Cole high-fived each other, laughed and did a little dance, but this sensation ended when, very faintly, they saw something swoop by through the trees. They were frozen for a moment, then they regained their composure and (not-so-) bravely stood their ground.

The forest was so quiet that the twins could hear each other's sweat drops hit the rocky floor. They eyed each other, hoping this was just a fluke but too nervous to voice this hope. Eventually, a rustling in the trees caught their attention. They faced it, awaiting the intruder.

The flora parted and out stepped a calm, collective Dr. Hayashi, followed by a sulking Oliver. They wordlessly traversed the field and stepped up to the incline, stopping directly in front of the twins.

Silent expressions were the only things exchanged for quite some time. The twins struggled to maintain their bold stances. Oliver looked confused as heck. Dr. Hayashi's face was a stony mask of deadpan annoyance.

"Can I help you two?" Dr. Hayashi finally asked.

Chris and Cole didn't speak at first, turning to each other for some kind of reaction. Then Cole went out on a limb, threw his hand up and said, "Stop! Who approaches the br- door of… stone… must answer we these questions three, dare the other side ye see!"

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "So… is_ this_ their security?"

"I'm… not… sure…" Dr. Hayashi replied.

Cole gripped his fists and asked. "What is your name?"

"Dr. Alexander Hayashi."

"What is your quest?"

"To hunt down and drink the blood of the Star Wolf we've tracked here."

"What am I thinking of right now?"

"Tacos."

Cole shot Chris a wide-eyed look. "_Dang,_ this guy's good…!"

"Look, would you two mind stepping aside?" Dr. Hayashi impatiently asked.

"Not if you're gonna hurt Mutt and the others!" Chris shouted.

Dr. Hayashi rolled his eyes; he didn't feel like dealing with a couple of human boys, so he simply pushed them aside and walked between them and up to the eye scanner. But before he could activate the door…

_**ZAP**_

He yelped when a small bolt of lightning suddenly struck him, letting the pain subdue before looking up to see the much-more-serious Super twins.

"Nuh-uh, buddy!" Chris snapped. "You gotta go through _us!_"

"He kinda already did that," Oliver said.

After letting that sink in, Cole shot back, "Oh yeah, well… Um… You, uh… _Zappity-zap-zap!_"

Dr. Hayashi didn't have time to react to the second bolt that Cole launched at him. After matting his frizzled hair down, he growled, "Oh, so _that's_ how it's going to be? Fine, then. Give me your best. I could use an adrenaline rush."

Chris and Cole cracked their knuckles, sparks flying from their hands in the process, and let out a fierce battle cry as they charged into what would surely be a relatively short fight.

* * *

><p>"So," Sora said as she went through the drawers of her desk. "How exactly did this transformation occur?"<p>

As I wandered around the apartment, observing the living space on one end and the small laboratory on the other, I explained, "Well, Mutt and Shane are Star Wolves…"

"Wow…" Sora looked at the boys, eyes sparkling with admiration. "Star Wolves are rare, especially two in the same generation."

"Yeah, your uncle told me that," Mutt mumbled half sarcastically.

"Yes, well…" I continued. "A few nights ago, Mutt and your uncle had a run-in when he tried to hunt him for his blood, and shortly after I cut in, Mutt, Oliver and I were electrocuted together."

Sora pondered this. "So the electricity bonded your energy signatures together and fused parts of their energy to your DNA."

"I… guess so. Is that bad?"

"No, of course not! In that case, this'll be really easy to fix." She pulled out an odd-looking headband and matching wristbands, tossing them my way. "Put these on."

"Alright."

While I slipped them on, Sora told me, "DNA fusion through electrical shock is relatively simple. It follows similar principles as combining a cell nucleus with an unfertilized egg to create a clone, except this is reversible and, in sense, artificial."

"Artificial?"

"Yeah, you could be considered an artificial were-vamp hybrid because the energies weren't introduced through bite or another form of infection. Your blood remains unaffected, but since the energies are _there,_ dominating your natural energy, and your body has no idea how else to react to them, it's forced you into this sort of permanent state." She smiled at me as she typed on her computer. "Does that make sense? I'm dumbing it down as much as I can."

"Uh-huh, I get it," I said with a nod, taking a seat in another chair Sora had pulled up for me.

"Plus, vampires and Star Wolves don't undergo forced transformations like ordinary werewolves do, hence why this form isn't affected by daily cycles."

"Ah… So you _can_ fix this, right?"

"Sure I can!" She pulled a program up on her computer for me to see. "All I have to do is track down the foreign energies and remove them. Since they're not actually a part of your body- they're just _in_ it- they can be safely and painlessly extracted. Easy."

"Easy. Okay." I smiled. As long as Sora knew what she was doing, that was all that mattered to me.

"Will it take very long?" Shane asked.

"If everything goes well, it shouldn't," Sora replied. "You ready, Nat?"

"Yep. Oh, and Sora?"

She turned to me.

"Thanks. I owe you for this."

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just happy to help."

I noticed that Mutt was starting to lighten up, as though he was lowering his defenses on slowly starting to trust Sora. This made me feel a lot better. Mutt definitely had trouble trusting certain people, and Sora seemed like someone very trustworthy, even if she was a vampire, so this was a big step for him.

"Now Nat…" Sora suddenly turned very straightforward on me. "I told you that the extraction is painless, which it is. Other than some lightheadedness, the only pain you'll feel will be from the transformation reversal. Okay?"

I mirrored her firm demeanor and nodded. "Okay. Ready."

Mutt was suddenly next to me, giving me an encouraging smile. "I'm right here for ya."

"Thanks," I whispered, grabbing ahold of his hand as Sora typed in one last command on her computer.

Suddenly the wires on the head- and wristbands I was wearing lit up. I didn't feel anything at first, but then a weird feeling started to sweep through me like numbing vibrations on my veins. My heart sped up and my chest started to tingle. My head went light, my vision went fuzzy and I almost felt tired.

That's when the closest thing to pain began. It felt as if my innards were being drained into my head and wrists, then bleeding right out of my body. At the same time, my outside features felt like they were being sucked into me and joining the flow, like a dizzying cycle trapped in and around me.

Mutt watched my sickening struggle, holding my hand tightly, ensuring me that he was still there, unaffected by the cycle. But something eventually made him turned towards Shane.

Shane was staring at the door, eyes wide and nose twitching. "M-Mutt, someone's coming."

He straightened up but kept my hand in his, focusing his senses on what was behind the door. He heard footsteps heading for the apartment, struggled yells and electrical zaps. And sure enough, he smelled both humans and vampires.

His eyes narrowed. "Looks like the guys weren't able to hold them off, let alone _warn us._"

Sora looked worried. "Oh, Uncle Alexander…"

Soon there was a loud, aggravated knock, which Sora had no choice but to comply with. She pushed a button on an adjacent desk, right next to her phone, and a click signaled that the door was unlocked. In stepped Dr. Hayashi, holding Chris and Cole up by the back of their shirts. The twins were kicking, screaming and repeatedly zapping him. It didn't seem to bother him, though his hair- goatee included- was hilariously sticking out in all directions.

He shot a snickering Mutt a dangerous look. "You… have _no_ idea what I've gone through to get to you."

"I actually think it's pretty obvious," Mutt laughed.

I tried to focus my vision on the three- four, once Oliver stepped inside- standing in the doorway, but I didn't have it in me to keep my eyes open.

Oliver looked at his cousin, his expression unreadable. "Hey, Sora."

"Hey, Ollie," she replied.

"Ollie?" Shane repeated.

"Don't ask," Oliver groaned.

Dr. Hayashi dropped Chris and Cole at his feet, which prompted Sora to run up and inspect them. Knowing her uncle, the twins had received little to no mercy. "Are you two okay?"

Chris looked up and met Sora's gaze. It was hard to miss the awe in his eyes; he might as well have been looking at an angel rather than a vampire.

Once his hair was back in order, Dr. Hayashi turned to face Shane. "So… we chased that wolf for miles and found him here, in my niece's apartment… with _interest._ I like that."

Shane took several steps back. "Y-You stay away from me."

"Uncle Alexander!" Sora snapped. "Don't do this! Not here, not now, not after everything these guys have done through because of you!"

"Because of _me?_" he snapped back. "It's not _my_ fault Oliver and that wolf turned that girl into a freak of nature."

Pushing past the nausea, I felt my ears perk up at that comment. Based on his tone, he wasn't trying to insult me, but it still wasn't something I could take lightly.

And since I was temporarily impaired, Mutt had to be my voice… albeit my _loud_ voice. "Who are you calling a freak of nature?" He then whispered to me, "Sorry, Nat."

He let go of my hand and stormed up to Dr. Hayashi. "Listen, bloodsucker. I just ran all the way to Pennsylvania just to turn my girlfriend back to normal after she was turned into a hybrid while we were fighting _you._ That being considered, I'd say this is _your_ fault, indirect or otherwise. So the least you can do is _back off _and show some decency! For _her_ sake!"

Without Mutt there to hold me off, I lost my balance and toppled off my chair. The suction feeling was getting worse. I forced my eyes open again, trying my best to even out my vision, and held my hand up to my face, watching as my claws shortened and smoothened back into their regular fingernail shape.

Dr. Hayashi narrowed his eyes. "I suppose the last thing I want is to make a scene in such a small place, especially Sora's apartment."

He paused, then he suddenly grabbed Mutt's wrist and pulled it close to his mouth. "But still…"

_Mutt…_ I wanted to do something, but could still barely move. I at least managed to reach up and grab my ear, feeling as the fur retracted and the cartilage shrunk back into a human shape.

Mutt tried to pull himself free to no avail. "Don't you _dare…_ You don't want to do that. Not while I'm human."

"Oh yeah? _Try me,_" Dr. Hayashi growled.

"Dad!" Oliver grabbed his father's arm, his eyes dark and disappointed.

Sora helped Chris and Cole stand up, all of them shook by the events.

The tension was thick. No one knew what to say, and for a long time, none of them moved. It wasn't until Oliver gave his father's arm a squeeze that Dr. Hayashi looked him in the eyes.

"Stop… thinking… about yourself," Oliver whispered.

Everything stopped. Two glass bottles attached to the energy extractor were now filled, one with red mist, one with brownish-tan. The foreign energies had left my body. Finally, the rush died down and I could relax.

My vision was still blurry, but this was merely the result of my own imperfect eyes. I ran a quick inspection of myself; my canine teeth were normal length, my ears were normal size, my nose was flat, my arms and legs were bare, my nails were round and my tail was gone. Relief washed over me like a tidal wave.

Dr. Hayashi slowly released his grip on Mutt's wrist. "I guess now's not the best time for this, is it?"

Oliver and Sora shook their heads in unison.

"But still, I think I should get _something_ out of this chase, and if it wasn't for that girl, I-"

"That _girl_ has a name."

Everyone seemed surprised to hear me speak, myself included, considering I hadn't heard my normal voice in days. I found the strength to stand up and face the crowd, pull my glasses off my shirt and place them on my face. Behind the lenses, everyone was met by my ocean blue gaze.

"It's Natalie."

There was a multitude of expressions among the crowd; relief from Shane, excitement from the twins, happiness from Oliver and Sora, and pure admiration from Mutt.

It was Dr. Hayashi's reaction that surprised me the most. I had expected the same coldness or sarcasm he expressed the night at the mill, but no. He was reflecting curiosity. Even _wonder._

He gently pushed the others aside and walked my way, ignoring threats and protests from Mutt. I tried to stay strong, but it was probably pretty obvious how nervous I was to find myself face-to-face with the same vampire that had followed us all the way here only for Mutt's blood. He didn't speak; he simply looked me over like I was a piece of art.

I froze up when he grabbed my chin, his hand like ice against my skin. Instinctively, my hand flew to my pocket, but Dr. Hayashi calmly raised a hand as if to say that my fairy form wasn't necessary. And somehow, the shimmer in his dark eyes and the emotions I was reading made me believe him.

"So… sad," he finally whispered in the most sympathetic tone I could imagine.

"W-What is?" I stuttered.

Dr. Hayashi let me go, turned around and started walking, leaving me without an answer. "Let's go, Oliver."

Oliver sighed. "Thanks, Dad."

He didn't reply, wordlessly opening the door. Then he stopped, turned back around and gave Mutt a firm look. "Don't think for a second that you've seen the last of me. I _will_ be back."

"I'm sure," Mutt snarled back.

With that being said, Dr. Hayashi walked into the hall. Oliver and Sora exchanged a hug before he dashed after his father. Once Sora closed the door, Shane let out one big sigh of relief. "_WHEW!_ That was _way_ too close!"

"You're tellin' me…" Cole agreed.

I chuckled at them, then looked at Mutt as he started to move towards me. We met each other halfway and embraced. "It worked," I whispered.

"Yeah, it did."

While Mutt still had me in his arms, I shot Sora a glance. "Sora, thank you so much."

"You're welcome," she replied. "If that's all you need, I can send you home-"

"You know what?" I interrupted. "As long as we're here, why don't we get to know each other?"

Sora smiled. "If that's what you want."

* * *

><p>So for a few hours, the six of us just sat in Sora's living room and talked about pretty much everything about us. Mutt talked about how he met me, how he became a Star Wolf, and a few other anecdotes. Shane talked about his old life in England and his new life in Peach Creek, leaving out the story of his sister's manslaughter for understandable reasons. Chris and Cole talked about their life story and their journey here, which Sora showed much sympathy for. And while I waited for my turn to tell stories, I listened contently to the story of Sora's life.<p>

Sora was born in Maine, the only child of Leonardo and Mary Kate Hayashi. Her mother was usually gone for long periods of time, so her tightest bond was with her father. Then when she was six, her parents confronted a team of vampire treasure hunters that had stolen a Hayashi family heirloom when Leonardo was a child. Sora secretly followed them and watched them both get killed.

"Oh my God…" I whispered when she got to that part.

She nodded, her face scrunched in sorrow; apparently vampires can't cry, so this was the closest thing to it that Sora could get.

"After that, I just went off on my own, wandering the countryside," she continued. "I did occasionally travel with an extended family, but by the time I was thirteen, I decided to settle down and start a new life. I had enough money from some side projects to buy this apartment, and from there on out I've spent my days inventing, selling and patenting my work, and when needed, hunting animals. I gave up human blood years ago."

"Wow…"

"What do you mean by _side projects?_" Mutt asked with a raised eyebrow, ignoring the elbow I shoved into his hip.

"Just some investments I made in the market," Sora answered.

"That really is quite a story," Shane sighed. "I was pretty broken up when I lost my sister, so I know how you feel."

"Thanks," Sora mumbled.

Chris inched closer to Sora and nudged her arm, speaking in a comforting voice, "Hey, it's okay. We're all here for you."

That brought on a smile. "You know, it's been really lonely around here. I don't regularly interact with my neighbors and the only living family members I have rarely come around."

A solitary life, far away from or otherwise void of family and friends. Even I couldn't imagine how dull, how agonizingly desolate that kind of life could be.

_Ding!_

"Wait…" I spoke up. "Chris, Cole, you guys have nowhere in particular to go, right?"

"Not that we're currently aware of," Cole replied.

"So why don't you guys stay here. You'd have a place to stay and Sora would have someone to keep her company."

Sora's grin expanded upon hearing that offer. "That's a really great idea!"

"Living with a vampire?" Chris questioned. "Is that really… y'know… smart?"

"Oh, come on," Sora teased, waving her hand. "If that's what you're worried about, I promise you I wouldn't intentionally hurt you. I told you that I gave up hunting humans. Plus, you two are just too darn sweet for me to hurt in any way!"

The twins thought it over for a bit. "Well…" Cole said. "A place to stay _does_ sound nice…"

"I could even pay you guys for helping me with my experiments."

"What?" Chris laughed. "Wouldn't it make more sense if _we_ were the ones paying? Like in terms of rent?"

"Don't worry about it. I'd be more than happy to support you guys."

"Hmm…" Chris attentively scratched his neck. "You know what? Why not? We'll give it a shot."

"Great!" I responded.

"Thanks, boys," Sora breathed. "That means a lot."

"Yeah…" Cole chuckled. "We're gonna be vampire assistants."

"Yeah we are!" Chris cheered, pounding Cole's fist.

"Are you sure you can handle them?" Mutt snickered. "They gave Nat quite a handful on the way here."

"I'll manage," Sora replied, pointing at a door to her right. "I've been needing to find some use for that back room anyway. So enough about that. Tell me about you, Nat."

I blinked a few times and organized my thoughts, deciding I might as well tell her everything.

"Well… I grew up in Peach Creek all my life. I didn't have very many friends until this guy forced his way into my life." I playfully shoved Mutt's arm. "Then… one day… I found out I was the successor of something called the Blue Star."

"The Blue Star?" Sora cut in. "_You're_ the Blue Star successor?"

"Yeah. You know about that?"

"_Know_ about it? I provide technology for Pop Central in exchange for them funding my projects! I'm practically in a conglomerate with them!"

Right about then was when I remembered something from the day I learned the whole story of the Blue and Gold Stars. Mr. Tucker had scanned my energy in order to process and describe my different powers. He gave me the name of the technology manufacturer…

"_Hayashi Tech. Only the best."_

"I _thought_ your last name sounded familiar!" I thought out loud.

"Well, now you know." Sora smirked. "I guess it was no coincidence that we met."

I laughed at that. "I think I stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago."

That got us all laughing. Once we calmed down, Sora continued, "So… wow. This makes you the youngest Blue Star successor in history."

"Yeah, I know."

"And how has that been working out so far?"

"Well, Mutt's been a big help and Shane's there when I need him. So far I've fought a decent handful of Minusion Soldiers and Warriors, plus one Queen."

"Wish we could've been there to see _that,_" Cole said.

"Yeah, I'll bet you do," Mutt chuckled.

"So if you know about _me,_" I said to Sora, "what do you know about Minusions?"

Sora paused, then explained, "Well, you know about Wayne King, right?"

"Right."

"When he learned to control the Gold Star, he sought ways to reinforce its power through the prominent traits of animals. In the end he had fused the Star with samples of- let me think about this- a bear, a mountain lion, a wolf, a dolphin, a porcupine and a bat. But the Star had become so overloaded that when it merged with his body, it caused an unexpected transformation."

"And that's what created King Minusion?" I asked.

"Exactly. In essence, King Minusion is the physical manifestation of the corrupt Gold Star. As for his army, it_ is _possible to create physical beings purely from a powerful energy as long as there's something to stabilize the artificially-created body. In this case, it would be their mental and aural connection with the King."

"So destroy the King," Shane concluded, "and you destroy them all."

"Right…" I whispered, slowly nodding my head. It figured. Killing the leader always seemed to do away with colony creatures, albeit not in this magnitude.

Mutt smiled at me. "Looks like we've got a researcher on our side, huh?"

"Yep," I agreed, my mood lightening. "We've got the right friends, don't we?"

No one needed to confirm that. It was clear. My team was coming together before my very eyes.

Something seemed to be bothering Sora, judging by her expression and deflating sigh. Before I could even ask, she spoke up to Mutt and Shane, "You know my uncle will keep his word. He's _never_ walked away from a hunt empty handed, and it's unlikely that he'll just let this go."

Mutt nodded. "Yeah… I know."

"Why do I get the feeling he went easy on them because of me?" I mumbled.

"I think he went easy on them for a lot of reasons," Sora responded. "But in the end, he won't stop until he gets what he wants. Trust me."

Shane sunk into his seat. "See what happens when I get involved with your rubbish, Kanker?"

"Hey, you forced yourself into it!" Mutt snapped back. "I tried to keep you out of it!"

"Guys, _not now!_" I shouted.

They complied and shut up on the spot.

I turned back to Sora. "So can we keep in touch?"

"Of course," she said, dashing over to her desk and pulling out a sticky note pad and pen. "Text me later. Let me know if you need anything."

I stood up, took the note with her phone number, and upon feeling complied enough, I gave her a hug. "Thanks again for helping me out. I don't know how to repay you."

"You already have, Nat," she murmured.

The guys joined me just before I let go. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, while no one was looking, Shane picked something up off of Sora's desk and stuck it in his pockets.

"Take good care of those boys," I told Sora, gesturing towards Chris and Cole. "They deserve it."

"You know I will."

"Now, uh… How're we getting home?" Mutt asked.

"Over here." Sora directed us to a large, chamber-like device next to the door to the hallway. "This is the teleporter I've been working on. It's not entirely perfect yet, but if everything works out right, it should be able to temporarily remove you from the dimensional plane and instantly place you at another fixed point."

"Wow…" Instantaneous travel across the space portion of the space-time continuum. In the few hours I had known Sora, she never ceased to amaze me.

"Should we really take our chances if it's not perfect?" Shane questioned.

"Well, of course it's never going to be quote-un-quote 'perfect'," Sora said. "It's just that I'm working some bugs out of it."

Somehow I was finding it difficult to _not_ trust Sora, probably because of my returned empathy powers.

"I'm willing to take that chance," I confidently said, stepping into the teleporter. "Let 'er rip, Sora."

Seeing me act this way forced Mutt and Shane into following me in. Sora then typed the coordinates to Peach Creek into a keypad on my right. "I'll see you three later."

"No doubt." I looked over her shoulder and called to the twins, "Bye, guys! Thanks for everything!"

"Great meeting you Nat!" Chris called back.

"And thank _you!_" Cole added. "See ya later, Natinator!"

Sora stepped out of the teleporter and said, "Just hit enter when you're ready."

I nodded and prepared to hit the button. "Bye."

"Bye."

And with one push of the button, the apartment disappeared in a white cloud. A strange sensation swept over me, as though my body was painlessly disintegrating and reforming all in five seconds. Piece by piece, the whiteness disappeared and the familiar sight of the outskirts of Peach Creek came into view.

"Yes!" Mutt sighed in one loud breath.

Shane wiped his brow, thankful that ordeal was done and over with.

I just smiled and took one big sigh of relief, one big breath of fresh air. Finally, things were normal again. No overwhelming sounds or smells. The hybrid was gone. The journey was over. I was home. Home sweet…

…home?

My smile fell once I actually took a good look at the town. While it wasn't in ruins, it was clear that it had faced destruction. Broken poles, shattered windows, tipped-over cars… even _blood._ Both red and orange blood.

The three of us were frozen where we stood, taking in the broken town that was our home. We could hear gunshots, see the townspeople fighting running or running for their lives. I felt the Gold Star. It was strong. All over. It wasn't until an ambulance drove past us that we were snapped out of our stupor.

"Looks like the King's taken advantage of you absence," Mutt murmured.

I gulped hard. This was my fault. Even if I had little control over the turn of events that led me to Blue Ridge, this was still my fault.

I heard the familiar scream of one of my best friends.

"Ed!"

Now I had to fix this.

The guys didn't protest when I started running. As I charged into downtown, Mutt and Shane broke off to transform in privacy. In my run, I pulled out a kernel, popped it, ate it, and took to my long-unused fairy form, shooting into the air without pause.

I knew I couldn't waste much time counting the number of Minusions, so I simply took one quick look, deducing that there were about ten, and fired away. First I knocked out the one that was attacking Ed, receiving cheers from deprived fans. Then I blasted a nearby Warrior out of the air; when it crashed, it was immediately met by Mutt in wolf form, who bit down into the Minusion's neck and then backed off, allowing me to shoot the death blow at it.

As Ed joined Edd and Eddy in their little shelter, Shane jumped in and joined the brawl. From below, the wolves weakened the Minusions, and from above, I hit each one with blasts from the Blue Star, taking each one out one by one until there were none left.

I hovered for a moment and regained my breath before touching down and running up to the Eds. "Guys!"

"Natalie!" Ed cheered as he jumped out and tried to hug me, only to be stopped both by Eddy and me flying out of reach.

Once I was on the ground again, Eddy loudly asked, "Where have you _been?_"

"Long story," I answered. "Personal matter. Now what happened here?"

"Ever since they noticed you've been gone, the Minusions have been laying waste to the town," Edd replied. "We're not even sure why. All we know is that in your absence, Mayor Dengen has been working around the clock to help us."

Something compelled me to growl; brief shock fell over me when it didn't come out as the growl-hiss that came with my hybrid form. After shaking that off I said, "I'm really sorry for not being here, guys-"

"Yeah, you _should_ be!" Eddy snapped.

"Eddy!" Edd yelled.

"What? We needed her! You said so yourself when they attacked the cul-de-sac!"

"The cul-de-sac…?" I choked.

And thus, the panic returned. They had attacked my street while I was gone. The Eds' homes, Rolf's farm, my innocent schoolmates…

My house.

I looked to the right, then to the left, where Mutt and Shane were slowly approaching me in human form again. I didn't even give them a chance to speak before I turned around and started flying north.

"Nat, wait!"

I hardly heard Mutt call for me. Lost in my worries, there was nothing that could stop me from making sure my family was safe. I feared the worst while telling myself not to.

The cul-de-sac came into view. Sure enough, it was a mess, though the houses had very little damage to them other than some loose shingles or torn-up landscaping. In fact, the house with probably the worst damage was… mine.

I touched down and stared agape at my house. The garage door had been forced open and almost completely yanked off. My mom's car had been shoved into my dad's truck, damaging them both. The door to the inside had been torn off completely and the opening had been forced apart into a wider hole.

"No…" I finally found the will to whisper. "No, NO, _NO!_"

I quickly flew inside, not even bothering to fold my wings away. There were no Minusions inside, but Gold Star still lingered in the atmosphere. Other than that, it was empty. The kitchen table had been flipped over and some furniture had been knocked out of place, but there was not a soul in the house.

In desperation, I called out for Mom, Dad and Jared. Over and over again until I was screaming for them at the top of my lungs. No one answered, not even the dogs. As my panic continued to eat at me, I tore through the house as if I'd somehow find them, making a bigger mess while my OCD nature forced me to simultaneously clean it. Up and down, left and right, back at forth I went until the world just started to spin and I finally broke down, collapsing in the family room and bursting out into tears.

At that time, Mutt and Shane dashed in, matching each other's worry. They froze up when they saw me, then Mutt instinctively ran up to me, sat me up and embraced me. I didn't hug back, though, I just buried my face in his shoulder.

"Shh… Nat, calm down," he whispered. "It's okay."

"No!" I shouted. "No, it's _not_ okay!"

He paused, letting me cry for a few more seconds before agreeing, "No, it's not."

For some reason, this wasn't helping. I knew Mutt meant well and was concerned for me, but I didn't want him holding me back. I wanted to get out of here, get away from the ruins of my home. I came here to make sure my family was okay, and I still hadn't figured that part out.

"Let go."

"What?"

"LET _GO!_" I screamed, wrenching away from Mutt, standing up, pushing past Shane and running out into the open again, their calls becoming the farthest thing behind me.

I took to the sky again, picking through the layers of Gold Star energy in the air all around me, desperately searching for any sign of my family. They had to be out there somewhere. They had to still be alive. I anxiously zipped from one block to the next, taking in the streets, the trees, the fields… Anything! Just one sign that they were still alive!

Tears. Hyperventilation. Wind stinging my face. More tears. I couldn't find anything, and part of me knew that in this state I wouldn't. I wanted to calm down and _think_, but the gravity of the situation wouldn't let me pull myself together. Gravity… eventually pushing me down until I was on my hands and knees in the middle of the cul-de-sac.

A crowd started to form along the sidewalk, the other kids coming out of there house, acknowledging my return and what I had come home to. No one spoke, not the kids, not the Eds, not Shane, not even Mutt. They just gave me a moment to myself, to let my frustration out, let my salty tears drip onto my glasses and fall to the ground.

"_**WHERE ARE THEY?**_" I screamed at the pavement. "_**WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?**_"

Only my echoes provided a response. Finally, I let my wings vanish and collapsed onto my back, lying there in the warm sun, quieting down enough for the others to approach me. Mutt knelt down and took my hand in his, still keeping quiet for my sake.

"I'm sorry, guys…" I breathed once my voice had evened out enough. "I'm sorry for leaving you. You have to believe me that I was gone for good reasons, but…" I had to force back more tears.

"It's okay, Nat," Nazz said. "No one's mad at you."

Everyone else just nodded, comforting me simply with their compassion.

Still silent, Mutt tucked his free hand under my head and gently placed his lips on mine. And while I still don't know why, probably because of the overwhelming stress of my mental breakdown, I blacked out at that exact moment.


	7. Lost and Found

**Chapter 7: Lost and Found**

I was in a cave. A winding, underground tunnel that was leading me to who knows where. The rock walls were lined with bright, sparkling streaks of blue and gold. The floor was dotted with animal footprints. The ceiling was lined with a layer of crystal that gave it the appearance of the night sky.

It was weird. The scene probably should've scared or at least worry me, but I felt oddly peaceful in this little path. It was beautiful, no doubt, but my calmness seemed so unnatural.

With a tilted head, I reached out and gently touched the wall on my left. The streaks immediately lit up and collided with one another, setting off tiny fireworks that properly startled me away. The sparks then melted into a sickly mixture of red and orange, dripping down the wall to spell the word "KILL".

Now I was getting nervous. I tried to brush that encounter away and continue down the tunnel.

I started to ask myself where I was. I had no memory of coming down here, which made me question if this was real or just a dream. Whatever the case, was this where the Minusions were keeping my parents and brother?

Something came into view up ahead. Its silhouette was clearly that of a large animal. At first I thought it was a Minusion, but the lack of fans or spikes disproved that. My spirits lifted when I recognized it as a Star Wolf, and when I came closer, I found that it was Mutt, sound asleep in a ring of stalagmites.

"Mutt?"

He woke up and locked eyes with me. Those weren't Mutt's green eyes. Even if it looked like Mutt on the outside, those were the glowing, golden eyes of a Minusion. He growled at me dangerously.

I defensively raised my hands up. Something compelled me to talk some sense into him. "Mutt, it's me. Natalie."

But he didn't listen. He just growled and started to stand up. Fearing the worst, I turned and ran until I couldn't hear that cold, unfeeling noise anymore.

Eventually I passed by another Star Wolf, Shane. I didn't even try to wake him up; I knew what was behind those closed eyelids.

By that point, I was almost completely sure this wasn't real, but for some reason, I didn't feel compelled to wake up yet. I had to know if my family had a part in this dream.

I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, one that I had no idea how I should react to. Was something waiting for me? Good or bad? Only one way to find out.

I ran into the light, finding myself in a wide open space surrounded by Minusions of all kinds. They all stood offensively, growling, sonars ringing, yet they didn't move. They just stood there like chess pieces waiting for someone to move them.

My hand flew into my pocket, anticipating the need to fight back. But my pants pocket was empty. I checked my other one. My back pockets. My jacket pockets. All empty. I had no way to transform.

The moment this sunk in, the crowd of Minusions parted in front and behind me. On the far end, two human-like figures emerged, which I quickly realized were Oliver and Dr. Hayashi. Behind me, Mutt and Shane, both of them radiating with Minusion eyes, stepped out to face them. And there I was, caught in the middle, utterly hopeless to stop whatever was bound to happen.

I waited for someone to move, and as soon as Dr. Hayashi took the first step out of the crowd, I ducked and covered. I could just barely see the wolves and vampires charge at one another out of the corners of my eyes. In a matter of seconds, they sprang and collided right above my head. I looked up just in time to see Dr. Hayashi and Oliver bite down hard into, respectively, Mutt and Shane's necks.

"NO!"

The vampires tackled the wolves only a few feet away from me. Foul orange blood spewed from Mutt and Shane's open necks. I wanted so badly to intervene, but without any popcorn kernels to force out my wings- not to mention the paranoia sweeping through me- I was useless.

Dr. Hayashi turned away from Mutt and looked right at me, the orange Minusion blood staining his mouth. His expression was fierce but not threatening; there was almost a hint of concern in them.

"Natalie, run!" he ordered. "There's nothing you can do here! Your family needs you! _GO!_"

I tried to nod but failed. I couldn't make sense of the scene. Dr. Hayashi was ordering me to escape this grotesque scene while he sunk his fangs in my somehow-Minusion-turned Star Wolf boyfriend. Was he actually worried about me or was this something beyond my comprehension?

Well, whatever the case, I wanted to get out of here, so I quickly stood up and bolted for the opening that the vampires came in through. The Minusions around me did not strike, leaving me to escape the room without any distractions.

_Natalie, run! There's nothing you can do here! Your family needs you! GO!_

Dr. Hayashi's words echoed in my head. Nothing I could do… What did that mean for Mutt? For Shane? For everything I was leaving behind back there? I didn't linger on those questions. Now all that mattered was that my family was down here somewhere. They were alright, but they needed me. I had to help them. I had to do something.

"WHA- OOF!"

In my run, I tripped over a loose stone and fell flat on my face, my yelp echoing across the cave tunnel.

Then came another noise. A very loud _CRACK _that seemed to shatter the foundation of the world around me. The rock floor beneath my field of vision started to rapidly break apart. In a panic, I scrambled back a few feet, dodging the hole to nowhere that had formed where I just laid.

But based on experience, I knew it wouldn't do me any good. When I was a child, a recurring theme in my nightmares involved the floor shattering and me falling into a dark abyss. Those dreams had ended a long time ago. Now it was happening again.

Like so many times before, I gave in and let the floor give out. The familiar falling sensation took over. I looked down, finding nothing below me, not even a reflection of the light above me, growing more and more distant.

I tightly closed my eyes, desperately trying to will myself back into reality. "Come on. Wake up. Wake up!" But nothing happened. I was still there. Still falling into that familiar black void.

This time, however, it was different. I wasn't the same little girl that was scared to do anything remotely similar to my nightmares. I had help, from above and within, and I was more than willing to use them.

"God, so help me…"

I again closed my eyes, switching from tapping into reality to tapping into the Blue Star. I used every ounce of strength and willpower I had to force it out, to let it take full form. Its power started to course through me, working its way out through only my nerve.

One flash of blue light, and my wings were released.

I instantly forced myself upright and flew towards the light, ready to break free of this void. But as I drew closer, the rocks started to piece themselves back together, sealing up the hole and my only means of escape.

"No, wait, PLEASE!"

Too late. When I reached it, the hole was gone. There was nothing but darkness, not even a ceiling for me to bang on. I just hovered there, screaming for help and throwing popcorn blasts above and below me until I gave up. Then I just covered my face and cried, finding myself completely useless again.

"Natalie?"

I knew that voice. Why wouldn't I? I should know my mother's voice anywhere.

My hands lit up with blue fire and my eyes trailed downward, noticing that a floor had appeared while I wasn't looking. I touched down and cautiously looked to my left.

And there she was. Mom. Unharmed and looking just like she always has. The only difference was that in the darkness, her eyes were concealed, making me unable to tell if they were her natural blue or Minusion gold.

"M-Mom…?"

She didn't speak. She just smiled at me. Dad appeared behind her, his eyes hidden in a similar manner.

"Y-You're okay…" I stammered, taking one step forward before I remembered something. "Oh, uh… Look, about the wings…"

I stopped myself when I remembered that this was a dream. It didn't matter if they saw me like this. Besides, they weren't even speaking. They just looked happy to see me.

Jared approached me from behind, and I was especially happy to see him, even if I couldn't see his eyes either. He always cheered me up, which I needed in a time like this. Together with my family again. Even if this wasn't real, I felt at peace again.

With a gentle smile and on the verge of tears, I walked towards my parents, reaching a hand out for them…

Before I could even touch them, Mom, Dad and Jared all burst into wild, golden flames, screaming in pure agony as they burned to ash before my very eyes.

"_**NO!**_" This was becoming too much torture to handle. I tried to help, worriedly burning the flames out with my own fire.

Yet it didn't help. They just cried for me to stop, and once I complied, I watched in horror as the flames turned from gold to blue. I stood there wide-eyed as my own fire started to kill them. Eventually I collapsed, unable to bear any more.

"STOP IT! _STOP IT! __**HELP!**_"

"NATALIE!"

Then it stopped. The darkness was gone, replaced by a pair of damp green eyes.

Finally back in the real world, I quickly sat up and wrapped my arms around Mutt, crying into his white night shirt. He returned the embrace and gently rocked me. "Shh… Nat, calm down. I'm here. You're safe."

I sniffled, taking comfort in Mutt's unaltered company. I decided it best to pull myself completely into reality one by one, telling myself everything I knew to be true.

_My name is Natalie. I am the eighth successor of the Blue Star. My boyfriend is Mutt Kanker. He is a Star Wolf. I'm staying with his family while my house is being repaired. My family has been taken by the Minusions, creatures of Gold Star. Rolf is taking care of our dogs in their absence. I am completely hopeless._

I opened my eyes and looked around the guest room I was sleeping in. The window and the patter on the roof showed signs of rain. How fitting. There was a tissue box on the night stand and a waste basket next to it, which I had made good use of and was putting back to work at that moment. The clock read 10:30; I had gone to bed early, so it didn't surprise me that it was still P.M.

"My mom's up," Mutt mumbled, catching her scent in the hallway.

That didn't surprise me either. I could've very well woken up the whole cul-de-sac with my screaming.

Elizabeth appeared in the open doorway, dressed in her silk nightgown and holding a glass of water. Judging by her singular appearance, I guessed Henry was working late at the hospital.

"Are you okay, Natalie?" she whispered.

"I…" I blew my nose. "I guess so. Just a nightmare."

"Oh…" She stepped in and set the glass on the night stand. "Here you go."

"Thank you," I sighed, taking it and taking a long, grateful drink.

"Are you sure you don't want Mutt to keep you company?"

"I'm sure…" I choked up. It did sound nice, but sleeping with Mutt had been the farthest thing from my mind when we became a pair.

"Nat, you need someone by your side," Mutt insisted. "If it bothers you, I can just lay on top of the covers."

Not sure how to respond, I turned to Elizabeth for some kind of council.

"It's okay." She smiled and kissed my forehead. "Let him comfort you. It's all he could ask for."

I sighed. "Okay."

Mutt nodded and moved around to the opposite side of the bed.

"Well, good night," Elizabeth said, walking towards the door and plugging something in the wall along the way. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thanks. Good night."

I settled back down into bed, facing away from Mutt, eyes resting on the scented plug-in Elizabeth had left me. It quickly started to give off a pleasant sugar and vanilla scent, settling my nerves as much as the sweet smell could.

"Don't worry, Nat," Mutt whispered. "We'll find them. I promise."

I didn't have it in me to talk about my family. Something else was bothering me.

"You had their eyes."

Mutt let out a choppy breath, warm against the back of my neck. "Huh?"

"In the dream… you and Shane has Minusion eyes. And you were growling at me."

He was silent for an uncomfortably long time. Then his arm slowly wrapped around me, his voice a low, sweet whisper.

"Don't worry. I would never… ever do that to you. I'll always be here for you, Nat."

"Thank you." A tear dripped onto my pillow.

His warm body against mine provided the last piece of comfort I needed to drift back to sleep.

* * *

><p>I didn't wake up again until morning. My eyes slowly creaked open, first resting on the bedside clock. 8:30. While my body started to regain its energy, I tried to look back at past events again. With all that had happened in this short time, I had lost track of the days.<p>

I was turned into a hybrid on Monday night. I started my journey to Blue Ridge and met Chris and Cole on Tuesday. Mutt and Shane regrouped with us on Wednesday, and later that night, we met Sora and I was turned back to normal. She returned us home on Thursday morning, yesterday. Which meant today was Friday. We just had today, tomorrow and Sunday left before spring break ended.

To me, that meant we had three days to find my family.

"Good morning," Mutt whispered, his arm still wrapped gently around me, the sheets still separating the rest of him from me.

"Morning," I replied, my voice much more even than it was last night.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Fine. Not as nice as I had hoped my first night sleeping in a bed again would be, but still."

"Well, let's head downstairs. Smells like Mom's cooking breakfast."

We sat up and wordlessly headed downstairs. The sweet aromas of French toast and cheesy scrambled eggs sparked my taste buds up like the animal blood I drank as a hybrid. When we looked in the kitchen, Henry was sitting at the table, casually eating his food, already dressed in his uniform, while Elizabeth cooked over the stove, her uniform covered by a fancy apron.

"Good morning," Henry politely greeted us after swallowing his mouthful of eggs.

"Morning, Dad," Mutt yawned, patting his father on the shoulder and walking up to his mother. "Hey, Mom."

"Morning." She smiled first at Mutt, then at me. "You two hungry?"

"Yeah, thanks," I responded, taking a seat at the table.

"Sleep better?"

"Yep."

"Well, it looks like they're already getting to work on your house," Henry told me.

I quietly looked out the window to see a group of men repairing my house's garage door. Mutt and I had done most of the indoor work yesterday, so the doors were all that was left to fix.

Upon our return, we told Mutt's parents the whole story. Not just the journey to Blue Ridge, but also the story of the Blue and Gold Stars. I felt like they had the right to know. So as I observed my house being repaired, Mutt could openly say, "Maybe we should call Sora. I bet she could fix it right up."

It was meant to be a joke, I know, but it actually didn't sound like a bad idea. "Hey… You know what? I think we should."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There's no sun out, so I'm sure she'd be more than willing to help."

"She probably would be, huh?" Mutt chuckled as he sat down and handed me a plate of food.

"How about I call her in a little while? Then we can go around town and look for my family."

"Sounds good."

The rest of the morning went by smoothly. Henry and Elizabeth left for work, Mutt and I got dressed and I gave Sora a call, explaining what had happened upon our return home.

"_Oh, Nat, that's horrible,_" she said once I finished the story.

"Yeah…" I muttered, finding myself able to hold back tears. "So do you think you could come over and help fix my garage door? It's cloudy over here and Mutt's dad says they're not calling for any sun today."

"_Sure. I'd be happy to. And if you want us to help you look for them…_"

"That's okay. Mutt and I can take care of that part."

"_Well, if you say so. The boys and I will be right over._"

"Thanks. See ya." I hit the END button and slipped my phone into my pocket as Mutt appeared in the guest room doorway.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

We quickly went outside, locking the door behind us, and split up; Mutt headed for the woods while I walked around town.

I didn't bother flying in my search. I wanted to be thorough, not quick. Plus, Minusions live underground, so a search from the sky seemed less than practical. So I just walked up and down the streets, trying to detect where the Gold Star's energy was strongest. For a long time I had no luck.

At one point while I was passing through downtown, I found myself in front of a familiar winery. After staring at it for a moment, I stepped inside, finding it relatively empty. The only employee I found wasn't a Masterson.

"Hey, Sam?" I called to him. "Is Shane working in here today?"

"No. Sorry," he replied.

"That's okay. Thanks."

I walked back outside, took a deep breath and continued on. I wished I knew where Shane lived; I still needed his help.

After another long moment without any kind of lead, I started to feel it. The Blue Star was going into panic mode, detecting something that I couldn't see. I felt my hopes rise. Now that I was finally getting somewhere, I anxiously moved around, trying to find the spot where the source of the overload was originating.

But my hopes fell when I found it. Town hall. Of course. Just another instance of the Blue Star overreacting to Degnen's presence.

I let out a long sigh and gave in to my curiosity, casually striding up the walkway and around the side of the old building. The pounding in my head and chest worsened as I did, but I couldn't help myself. I was dying to know what it was about the mayor that set off the Blue Star like this. I eventually found him; a closed window on the south side revealed Dengen sitting and writing something at a desk in his office.

Well, this certainly looked like an ordinary scene. Even if I couldn't get a full view of everything on the other side, what I saw didn't seem like anything other than an average mayor's office. If that was the case, I felt a bit guilty for spying on him.

That's when I heard it. It was very soft and nearly undetectable, but there was definitely a ring echoing through the air. Minusion sonar. I tried to pinpoint where it was coming from while the noise translated itself in my head.

"_Do not kill. It is of upmost vital importance that they live. …Stay hidden. Leave the surface-dwellers untouched. …Let her come. She will come."_

The last part was obvious enough. With my family in their grasp, I would come to them sooner or later. But the first parts took some thinking to piece together. Were they talking about keeping my family alive or the Peach Creek populace in general? "Stay hidden" would probably support the latter assumption. And again, where was the sonar coming from?

I looked in the window again. Dengen had stopped writing and was staring ahead blankly. I swore I could see a very odd gleam in his amber eyes, but my mind just seemed to be playing tricks on me.

Then Dengen turned towards the window, catching sight of me.

And at the same time, I could see through my reflection in the glass that my eyes had suddenly burst into blue flames.

I yelped and ducked down, tightly closing my eyes in an attempt to quell the Blue Star's fire. Oh God, I desperately hoped he didn't see that. How could I explain this logically?

The star didn't calm down. I decided to just make a run for it and pray for the best. But before that could happen, I heard the window slide open. "Natalie?"

"U-Uh… Good morning, Mayor Dengen…" I stuttered.

"Are you alright?" Dengen asked. "You seem… distressed."

"Distressed?" I peeked my eyes open but kept them focused on the ground. I wasn't even going to try. "Yeah, I guess I'm kinda distressed, what with my family and all…"

"Ah, yes," he sighed. "I had heard that they were abducted by those creatures. I'm very sorry."

"Thank you." I sniffled. "I just wish I knew what to do."

"Well, I'm sure things will turn out for the best, even though it seems like you're up a creek right now."

"Mm-hmm…" _Up a creek?_

"You know the old saying: When life gives you lemons…"

"Yeah, I know." I didn't feel like finishing it. _What's with all the catchphrases?_

"Why don't you just get some rest?" Dengen suggested. "Let things calm down for now. Oh, and my advice: When in doubt, I've found that taking a stroll through the forest helps ease the tension in my mind. Good luck." With that, he closed the window and left me alone.

I just sat there for a long time, not quite sure what the heck Dengen had just told me. Then I stood up, let out a frustrated scream and stormed off. I didn't have time to relax! I had my family, my friends, the Minusions, Dengen… Why did I have so much to worry about?

Well, worrying like this wouldn't get me anywhere. I calmed down as much as I could and continued my search. At the least, Dengen was probably right about things turning out for the best. That's all I could pray for at the time.

* * *

><p>Hundreds of miles east of us, the sky was ideally cloudy too, the adequate covering over the sun lowering the chance of burning up a vampire's skin. Oliver Hayashi was taking advantage of this weather, resting in an open field and writing in his poem book.<p>

Though he was wondering, he didn't ask his father why they weren't moving. After all, they had left without any blood, and although Dr. Hayashi had a few rationed bottles in his coat, it would be smart if they tried to find a werewolf sometime soon. But for some reason, they only travelled a few miles away from the mountains and stopped. Nightfall was fast approaching and they hadn't moved an inch since that morning.

Oliver sighed and looked up a nearby tree, where his father was perched on a high branch. "Hey, Dad, what's a good rhyme for 'simplicity'?"

"I don't know," Dr. Hayashi mumbled back.

"You didn't even give it any thought! …Oh, nevermind!" Oliver sulked and went back to his writing.

After a while, though, his eyes trailed back up. Oliver had never seen his father in such a quiet, thoughtful state. "Dad, can't you tell me what's on your mind?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"How do you know that?" Oliver shouted. "Are you just upset because those Star Wolves got away?"

"_No,_ Oliver! I _let_ them go!" Dr. Hayashi snapped.

"I still don't understand why you did that."

"Two reasons!" He turned around so he could look down at his son. "One, because I wouldn't hear the end of it from Sora if I had killed them in her apartment, and two…" He trailed off.

"And two…?"

He sighed. "…Because of her."

"Who, Natalie?"

Without giving Oliver an answer, Dr. Hayashi turned and laid down flat on the branch, staring at the cloudy sky.

"I don't get it," Oliver said. "What is it you see in her?"

"You know… I'm not quite sure myself," Dr. Hayashi replied. "She just seems so… so… I don't know. She just reminds me of someone."

Oliver didn't ask who that someone was. Part of him wanted to believe it was his mother, but how would he know? Oliver knew absolutely _nothing_ about his mother.

With no more to say, Oliver set his book aside and fell into the grass, nose pressed against the cold earth.

_What the…?_

There was an awful scent buried somewhere beneath the surface, a burning, musty scent that was giving Oliver a headache. Once he was aware of it, it didn't go away, not even when he sat back up. "Dad, do you smell that?"

"What?"

"Just take a whiff. Something stinks down here."

Taking his word for it, Dr. Hayashi jumped down, landed nimbly on his feet and smelled the air around them. By the look on his face, he could smell it too. "Ugh… What _is_ that?"

"I don't know, but it seems to be underground."

They both knelt down and tried to focus on what they were sensing. There was definitely noise coming from beneath them, like a rapid digging noise coupled with rhythmic breathing. And they were sensing a powerful aura. Whatever it was couldn't be friendly.

Oliver groaned and clutched his chest. There was an uncomfortable pounding going on in there, as if his stony heart was trying to beat. The ache in his head started to worsen as well.

Noticing this, Dr. Hayashi worriedly asked, "Oliver, what is it?"

"I-I don't know," Oliver growled.

He felt a movement in the atmosphere. A disruption of some kind. And when he did, Oliver shouted out the first thing that came to mind…

"_GET BACK!_"

They both jumped backwards, dodging the hole that had burst open in the ground. Out jumped a Minusion, which neither of them recognized. They could hardly look past those glowing yellow eyes. The scene left them speechless, silently asking themselves what was going on, what this thing was, and whether they should face off with it or get the heck out of there.

The Minusion looked Oliver up and down, an edge of interest in its expression. The fans on its long ears let out that strange ringing noise. And it was weird. Oliver thought he could pick a few words out of the sonar…

"_Vampire… Blue… Star… Her…"_

Blue Star… As in the Blue Star successor?

"Dad…" he whispered. "I think this thing knows about Natalie."

"How…?" Dr. Hayashi whispered back.

"That sonar it's emitting… it's like I can understand it…"

Just the fact that Oliver understood it when he couldn't made things clear for Dr. Hayashi, but before he could explain his hypothesis, the Minusion lunged at Oliver.

Oliver yelped and swerved out of its way, then ducked and rolled when it jumped at him again. He heard his father call his name, then he caught his staff when Dr. Hayashi tossed it his way. Once he was armed, Oliver extended the staff and swung it into the Minusion's shoulder. The impact made a loud, satisfying crack, signifying a fractured shoulder blade that sent the Minusion into spasms of pain.

In an instant, Dr. Hayashi swung his own staff into the Minusion's head with enough force to knock it onto its bad leg in one blow. With the creature down for the count, Dr. Hayashi shouted, "Oliver, bite it!"

"_What?_"

"I said _bite it!_"

"No!" Oliver protested. "Why don't _you_ bite it?"

"It has to be you! Trust me and _hurry up!_"

The Minusion was steadily trying to pick itself back up. Oliver had no idea where his father was going with this, but he found no other choice but to lunge and sink his fangs into the Minusion's neck.

It let out a horrifying shriek of pain. Its orange blood spurted out, spilling into Oliver's mouth and sending him gagging up a storm. But Dr. Hayashi kept shouting for him to not let go, so he held his grip as long as he had to.

Suddenly, the Minusion started to crumble into ash, slowly dying and fading back into the ground. It was at this point that Dr. Hayashi told Oliver he could let go, which he willingly complied to, watching the spectacle with awe and confusion.

Once it was gone, Oliver loudly asked, "What the _HECK_ was that?"

"I don't know…" Dr. Hayashi closed his eyes to think for a moment. When he opened them again, his face took on a stern expression and he started walking towards the mountains.

"…But I think I know who _does._"

* * *

><p>I stood in the driveway, staring at my house. The sun had set and the garage door had already been a hundred percent repaired. Sora, Chris and Cole had expressed their sympathy to me before they left. Now here I was, standing before a spotless house that looked as though it had never encountered Minusions.<p>

A long sigh escaped my throat and I walked away, slowly treading down the street towards Mutt's house. Along the way, my ears picked up a familiar grumbling voice, and when I looked up, I saw Eddy on the opposite side of the street, unenthusiastically dragging his trash can onto the sidewalk. He stopped when he saw me, feigning a smile. "Hey, Nat."

"Hey, Eddy," I mumbled back.

"Rough day?"

"Rough _week._"

"Yeah, I hear that…" He wiped his brow off and asked, "No luck today?"

"None."

"Well, keep up the pace. You'll show those Gold Star things what for in no time."

"Thanks, Eddy," I breathed, somewhat encouraged by his simple statement.

"Hey, tell Mutt I said hi," Eddy said as he turned and headed back inside.

"Can do," I replied as I continued my walk.

When I stepped back inside Mutt's house, I was immediately greeted by Henry. "Hi, Natalie. How are things so far?"

"Haven't gotten any better, honestly. My house is fixed, though."

"That's good. Are you moving back in?"

"Not right now. I don't have the nerve to sleep in an empty house."

"I understand." He gave me an affectionate pat on the head. "Don't worry. We're here for you until this is sorted out."

"Thank you," I muttered, wrapping my arms around Henry. He hugged me back for a long time before letting me head upstairs.

I poked my head in Mutt's room. He had already showered and dressed for bed, casually strumming on his acoustic guitar. (I had learned over time that his acoustic was named Courtney and his electric was named Kirara.) He looked up the moment his door creaked open and shot me a sad smile. "Talk to Sora and the guys?"

"Yeah. They did a pretty good job on the door," I responded. "Oh, and Eddy says hi. I ran into him on the way back."

"So you're staying here one more night?" Mutt asked, having likely overheard what I told his dad.

"Mm-hmm. I'm just gonna go take a bath, try to relax for a bit."

"Sounds good."

I nodded, closed the door and walked down the hall to the guest room to fetch my pajamas, then to the bathroom.

Alone in Mutt's elegant, marble-and-granite bathroom, I leaned over the sink and glared at myself in the mirror. Half of me was angry with myself; here I was, wasting time, when my family needs me more than ever. They were going through who-knows-what while I slacked off from my duty. Why wasn't I acting more concerned about this?

_Why? Because you're WEAK!_

I tried to shake that thought out of my head, reminding myself not to let the Devil get the best of me. I still had faith… somewhere. I'd make this work out somehow.

With my mind sorted out a bit, I ran my bath and let myself be submerged in the hot water. I'd hold on as long as I had to.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Mutt was still relaxing via his guitar, asking himself what he was supposed to do to make things right again. He was worried about me, of course, and he wanted to do anything in his power to help me save my family, but what were we doing wrong? Where were we supposed to look? He knew it should've been obvious, but it just <em>wasn't.<em>

He sighed and fell back, resting his head on his pillow. It was getting so hard to keep things together. Too much had happened in too short a time, and keeping track of all the issues was getting more and more difficult.

"Help…" Mutt told himself. "We just need a little help. Nat can't do this on her own, and I don't know what I'm doing."

A scowl slowly worked his way into his features. The whole ordeal with my family had started with my transformation into a hybrid. That would never had happened if the Hayashis had never crossed Mutt's path. This was _their_ fault. Well… mostly Dr. Hayashi's fault; Sora was clearly an ally and Oliver just seemed to be an unwilling passenger.

But then he sighed. Maybe he was to blame too. Maybe if he had acted faster… or maybe forced me to stay out of that fight… Mutt just didn't know.

He stopped his train of thought for a minute, realizing that he had been strumming a tune on his guitar the whole time, a tune he recognized to be "All These Things I Hate" by Bullet for my Valentine. Fitting.

Although something else seemed to be working its way into his attention. A scent. A familiar burning scent that made his stomach churn every time he picked it up. Vampire. And not just _any_ vampire…

"Come _on._ What's he doing back already?"

Mutt stood up and opened the window. He didn't see anyone outside, but he knew he was there. "What do you want?" he shouted into the night.

No response.

"Don't give me the silent treatment, Hayashi! I know you're out there!"

For a while, there was still no response, but then he appeared, partially concealed by the trees. "Before you jump to any conclusions, I'm not here for you," Dr. Hayashi called. "I'm just here to talk to Natalie."

"And what makes you think I'm gonna let her near you?" Mutt growled.

"Because I'm sure she'd be willing to hear what I have to say if she understands my purposes. Could you just go get her?

"No."

"Mutt, what's going on?" Elizabeth asked as she stepped into the room.

"Nothing, Mom," Mutt replied. "Just vampire trouble."

"Oh…" That didn't sound like "nothing" to her.

"There's nothing to worry about, Mrs. Kanker," Dr. Hayashi politely called to her. "I'm only here to speak with Natalie."

"Wait, how do you know my last name?" Mutt demanded. "I never even told it to you!"

"Sora."

Mutt groaned. Sora. Of course.

"Look, can you just tell Natalie I'm here? If she doesn't want to talk to me, then fine, but at least let _her_ decide."

As if he was looking for some kind of guidance, Mutt turned to his mom. Elizabeth just sighed and shrugged. "She can decide for herself."

After shooting one last glare out the window, Mutt let out a frustrated growl, stormed out the door and up to the bathroom, and gave the door a quick knock. "Nat, someone's here to talk to you."

"Who?" I asked. My head had been halfway submerged in the bathwater during his conversation, so I didn't hear a word of it.

"It's, uh…" He hesitated. "Look, I told him to go away, but he's being stubborn."

"_Who,_ Mutt?"

"The bloodsucker. Who else?"

"You mean Dr. Hayashi?"

"Yep."

That surprised me. Not just the fact that he was back so soon, but that he wasn't here for Mutt or Shane. He was here for _me._

"So…" I asked, "He just wants to talk to me?"

"That's what he said."

I didn't know where this was going, but heck, I was willing to find out. "Tell him I'll be down in a moment. I need to get dressed again."

"Alright." For a while, it sounded like Mutt was leaving, but then I heard him ask, "Wait, uh, Nat?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you can trust him?"

Somehow… I was.


	8. Compassion

**Chapter 8: Compassion**

I took my time getting ready to go outside and talk with Dr. Hayashi. It probably took me about a half hour before I felt dry enough to get back in my clothes, spending minutes at a time on pretty much everything. I even blow-dried my hair, something I hate doing, just to waste time.

It wasn't that I was desperately nervous about a one-on-one conversation with the same vampire that tracked us down for Mutt's blood… which, of course, I was only by a tiny fraction. I was merely questioning why he was here all of a sudden just to talk to _me._ Whatever his purpose, it must've been pretty big if I was the only one he was here for after all we'd been through.

After a long enough wait, I was ready to go, so I headed downstairs, running into no one along the way, and stepped into the backyard. I found Dr. Hayashi patiently waiting for me in a lawn chair, already sitting up by the time I came outside. His expression was unreadable, though much gentler than I was used to, matching that soft look he gave me moments after being turned human again.

He stood up but stayed where he was. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, I was… taking a bath when you showed up," I replied, freezing up by the door and not daring to come closer. "What, uh… How'd you get here so quickly?"

I figured out the answer immediately after I asked the question, and we both said it out loud simultaneously. "Sora."

"…Right…" I breathed.

Awkward silence.

"Do you mind if we take a walk?" Dr. Hayashi finally asked. "I'd rather be out of earshot of Mr. Kanker in there."

"Oh, uh…" I nervously felt my pockets, assuring myself that I was armed if it came to that. "Sure, I… I guess so."

"Thank you." He smiled, turned towards the woods and motioned for me to follow.

I didn't budge for a moment, then I started moving towards him slowly and cautiously, not caring how ridiculous my slow motion Rolling Stones walk had to look.

Dr. Hayashi had to suppress a laugh. "That's not necessary, you know. I only want to talk."

"So I've been told," I mumbled. "What is it you want to say that Mutt can't hear?"

"It's just nothing that concerns him. Besides…" He looked up at Mutt's bedroom window. "I'm a little more worried about what _I_ might do if I have to stay this close to his scent."

That stopped me cold. I put on the best straight face I could manage. "Are you still after his and Shane's blood?"

"In all honesty, I'd still like that very much." He turned back to me. "But I won't do that. Not here, not now. As I said, I'm here to talk to you. After that, I'll leave."

"Promise?"

"By all means."

I still wasn't sure if I was ready to trust him yet…

Dr. Hayashi looked down at the ground and smiled sheepishly. "Natalie, it's my understanding that you can read emotions. If you're still suspicious, then read mine."

Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that.

I focused on his psyche, picking out the various emotions he was feeling. I was almost surprised by what I found; while there was still a subtle hint of desire for Mutt's blood, the dominating feelings I read were curiosity, interest, trust and hope. There was even a little bit of shyness and remorse deep in him, but there wasn't an ounce of anger, aggression or cunning to be found.

I felt my head tilt to the side a little bit until I finally snapped back into my own perspective. "Okay." I walked, my pace much quicker, though not at all anxious. "Let's go."

"Lead the way," Dr. Hayashi politely offered, letting me pass and waiting a beat before following.

"Maybe you should go up front."

He chuckled once. "Still don't trust me?"

I was about to reply, but my words got stuck in my throat.

He shrugged. "I guess I can't blame you. It's not like I've earned it." He took a few steps ahead of me and fell quiet for a moment.

Once there was a fair distance between us and the cul-de-sac, Dr. Hayashi spoke up again. "Has Sora told you about how persistent I am?"

"Well…" I had to sort through my brain real quick. "She told me you've never walked away from a hunt empty-handed."

"Yes, I expected her to say something like that."

"So why did you just walk away?" I asked. "If werewolf hunting is so important to you, why didn't you just do something about it?"

He didn't answer right away. He just stopped and leaned against a tree. "Those two had something that no other prey of mine has had."

"…What's that?"

"Someone to intervene for them."

Half of me expected a response like that, but it was still weird to hear it from him. "You mean me?"

Dr. Hayashi nodded. "As you can probably well imagine, more often than not, the werewolves I hunt can't speak for themselves by the time I show up. And there's never been someone there to speak for them. …Someone that I could hurt. Or feel guilty for."

"So I was right." I turned away slightly. "You went easy on them because of me."

"Well, that's not the only reason, but… mostly, yes."

A sudden burst of sympathy hit me. "Have you fed recently?"

"I have some rations to hold Oliver and me off, but we haven't had a decent intake in weeks."

I nodded. "It must be hard… being able to survive off of only one thing."

He turned back around, looking rather confused by my sensitivity. "Yes…"

We were hit with another round of silence. Dr. Hayashi's eyes trailed up the tree he was just leaning against. "Can you climb?"

"No," I replied with a smirk. "Not to save my life"

That made him smile. "But you can fly."

"Yeah, so that solves that problem, huh?"

Even if I didn't know where he was going with this, we shared a good laugh over my little joke. Then he gave me a playful smirk and started to climb the trunk as gracefully as a cat.

"Wait, what're you doing?"

"Are you coming or what?" he called down to me.

I raised an eyebrow and pulled a kernel out of my pocket. Once my wings were out, I shot up after him, matching his speed, until we were both perched on a high branch. From this spot we could see all of Peach Creek; the moonlit creek, the calm forests, the lights shining on the streets and out of houses, and perhaps what I loved the most: the clear, sparkling night sky, illuminated by the twinkling stars, the crescent moon and a relatively low amount of light pollution.

"I love it out here," I randomly spoke up, not sure why I said it at all.

"I would too," Dr. Hayashi softly replied. "Though… I'm more of a full moon person, if you catch my drift."

A nod was my only response.

"Tell me," he said, changing the subject. "What was it like? Being a hybrid?"

I pondered that for a moment. "It felt… _weird._ Like I was walking in someone else's body. I felt stronger, more powerful… but my conflicting emotions and _thirst…_" I sighed. "It was a little scary, yet almost exciting. The freaky part is… I don't know if I miss it or not."

Dr. Hayashi stared at the sky, taking this in. "It's a burden sometimes. What bothers me the most is how hard it is for most people to see past the eyes and fangs… to realize that even though I don't have a pulse, it doesn't mean I'm heartless."

A pang of guilt hit me when he said that. After my time as a hybrid, I understood what he was saying, but Dr. Hayashi faced this all the time. He couldn't change what he is.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he sighed, looking away. "Don't apologize for something you didn't do."

A question popped into my head and formed into words against my will. "Hey, Doc? What about Oliver? I mean… is he really your…?"

"Yes," he mumbled. "He's really my son. His mother left a long time ago."

"Oh…" I looked down at the ground, momentarily forgetting we were in a tree, then quickly averted my gaze to the horizon. "That's sad."

"I really miss her," Dr. Hayashi breathed quietly. "And after all my family's been through, Oliver and Sora are my only living relatives."

My wide eyes shot back to him. "You mean everyone else in your family is _dead?_"

"Fate does not smile happily on the Hayashi family," he groaned, half sarcastically and half anguished. "We seem to be made to suffer."

"Don't say that," I said, much more firmly than I had intended. "You all have a purpose; I believe that. I also believe that everyone has the power to speak things into existence, whether they're positive or negative."

Dr. Hayashi looked impressed with me. "Really?"

"You are what you think," I added.

"That's… actually very informative. I've never really thought about that."

I nodded and we both turned towards the horizon again. "Blame that on me growing up in a Christian heritage."

He smiled and let out a stiff exhale through his nose. "I've heard a lot of things about church."

"You've probably heard a lot of stereotypes about church." I smirked. "Trust me, my church is nothing like you've ever experienced."

"I'm sure," he joked.

Another silence, but this one was much more gentle and calming than before.

"Now I have a much more serious question to ask you," Dr. Hayashi spoke up after a minute or so.

"Yeah?"

"What exactly is your duty as the Blue Star successor? I've heard rumors and legends, but I think a straight-forward answer would be better sought in you."

"Oh." I lifted my shoulder up and peaked back at my wings for one moment. "Well, the Blue Star's equal opposite is the Gold Star. Its power is controlled by creatures called Minusions, whose goal is to bring a downfall to human society so their leader, King Minusion, the physical manifestation of the Gold Star, can reign in a new world order."

"What do these creatures look like?"

"They kinda look like wolf-bear hybrids in my opinion, with hazel fur, red or blue fans on their ears, spikes on their legs and bright golden eyes." When he didn't reply, I looked up at him, finding him in a stunned silence. "Why?"

"Because Oliver and I just fought one."

"You what?" I yelped, sitting up straight.

"One of them attacked us back at Blue Ridge. …Well, I say 'us' but I think it was really after Oliver. He said that he could understand a little bit of the sonar frequencies it was emitting, and when it attacked him, I ordered him to bite it, and that seemed to be enough to kill it."

That shocked me. "But… Minusions can only be destroyed by the Blue Star."

"Which got me thinking: If Oliver and Mutt's energies were transferred to you when you three were electrocuted, who's to say it didn't work the other way around too?"

I blinked a few times; my eyes were so wide that they were dry as heck. "So you're saying that… Mutt and Oliver received energy like I did?"

"Partially," Dr. Hayashi replied. "If Oliver and Mutt received trace amounts of each other's energies, their own signatures would cancel them out. The only effect that could occur for both of them would be acquiring a tiny amount of the Blue Star."

And with that, I found myself in a cycle of deep breaths. If this was true, Mutt had a small piece of me inside of him. "Wow…"

Once again, silence. "I guess that's all I really wanted to say," Dr. Hayashi murmured.

"Well, thanks for telling me," I said. "I never would've thought of that."

He nodded, reached inside his coat and checked his pocket watch. "Well, I guess I don't want to keep you out here too long, so if you have nothing else to say, we can wrap it up."

"Yeah, I guess so." I then jumped off the branch and parachuted onto the ground. Dr. Hayashi, on the other hand, fell like a lead weight but managed to land on his toes.

Once we were both straightened out, Dr. Hayashi gave me a warm smile. "Thanks for talking with me."

"You're welcome." I couldn't help but smile back. Something about the way he was acting tonight rocked my perspective of him. He just wasn't the same as he was before. It was like there was a gentler, friendlier side to him that had been buried beneath the man Mutt and I had seen so many nights ago.

Weird. He reminded me of someone. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"Say," I spoke up as we walked back to Mutt's house. "You wanna come to church with me sometime?"

"…Church?" Dr. Hayashi looked at me like I had just asked him to do something illegal.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd like it if you gave it a shot."

His expression softened up a bit, turning into a light smile after a bit of thought. "I guess I could check it out when I get the chance."

"Great. You, uh… You got something I could write with?"

"No, sorry."

"Oh. Well, then, I'll be right back."

I quickly bolted through the trees and back into Mutt's house, making my way to the kitchen, swiping a note pad and pen and writing down the name and general direction to my church. Then I took the note outside and met up with Dr. Hayashi again in the trees. "Here."

"Thank you."

"You can't miss it," I giggled. "It's the big building less than a mile away from the airport."

He smiled at me, nodded and put the note in his pocket. "Alright, then. I guess I'll be seeing you soon."

"Yep. See ya." I turned around and started to leave.

"And thanks again."

"Anytime!" When I looked back, Dr. Hayashi was already gone.

With that, I let out a deep breath and walked back into the house, satisfied by our little talk, to say the least. I had a feeling I was the first person in a long time that Dr. Hayashi had opened up to, and if that was the case, I was glad to have helped him.

As I bounded up the stairs and down the hall, it was hard for me to miss the strong aura of animosity coming from Mutt's room. Though I knew I'd probably regret it later, I walked up to his door and prepared to knock. Before I even touched it, Mutt firmly said, "Come on in."

I didn't hesitate as much as I normally would when opening the door. I found Mutt sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall, arms tucked behind his head. "So," he said, rather accusingly. "What'd he say?"

"He just told me about a Minusion that attacked Oliver and him," I responded plainly. "Then we just talked a little bit about ourselves and I invited him to church."

"What did you tell each other?" Mutt's tone was far from pleasant.

"Not much. I told him about the Blue Star. He told me a little about his family. No biggie."

His eyelids lowered. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"He didn't say anything about me."

"Only when I said something about you first."

"And what did he say after that?"

"Mutt, I'm tired. Can't we just-?"

"_What did he say?_"

"He just said that he wasn't here for you! He just wanted to talk to me! I thought he had made that clear to you!"

"Well, yeah…" He tuned one of his guitar strings and muttered, "So that's it. That's all you'll tell me."

"Why should I bother?" I sighed flatly. "You wouldn't understand." I started to turn around.

"And why wouldn't I?" Mutt snapped.

"Mutt, face it." I tried sounding as matter-of-fact as possible. "You have a hard time trusting people that do you wrong. No matter what I tell you about Dr. Hayashi, it won't change your opinion of him."

"So you're saying you know something about him that I don't? Is _that_ it?"

"Well, considering he just opened up to me, I'd say I _do_ know a thing or two about him!"

"So why can't you tell me?"

"I just said it wouldn't matter to you either way!"

"_Really,_ Nat? You're just gonna keep secrets from me? What's so gosh darn important that you can keep between you and that leech and not tell me? Your own _boyfriend!_"

"Don't call him that!" I suddenly felt very protective of Dr. Hayashi. "Yeah, he's a vampire, but he's not some heartless killing machine! His kind's way of life isn't his fault!"

Mutt then got on his feet and stormed up to me. "I don't get it. Why are you suddenly on his side? Need I remind you this is the same guy who followed us all the way to eastern Pennsylvania just for my blood? He doesn't belong in our world!"

"_Our_ world?" I repeated. "Mutt, I have my own life! I don't need you to decide who I can and can't trust!"

"And what if you're wrong? _HUH?_ What if this is just some sick trick?"

"If it was- which it _isn't_- then I'd be wrong! Simple as that! But I read his emotions like an open book, Mutt, and I can tell you right now that he has no intention of hurting me!"

"Nat, can you just think logically for a minute? I'm only trying to do what's best for you! If he has the power to kill me, he could just as easily kill you!"

"WELL,_ SO COULD YOU!_"

Okay, that was probably pushing it too far. The wide shine in Mutt's eyes and the strong waves of betrayal were enough to make me hate myself for turning his Star Wolf nature against him. But I was too frustrated to apologize. I just wanted to explode in privacy. _As far away from Mutt as possible._ So I slammed the door in his face, stomped down the hall to the guest room, locked the door, collapsed onto the bed and burst into tears.

It wasn't fair. I understood Mutt's standpoint, but why couldn't he understand mine? I was only trying to be considerate of Dr. Hayashi. If that didn't matter to him, then fine, but he didn't have to be so judgmental of my feelings. I knew I could trust him. I just knew it!

Now I was being torn between them. Dr. Hayashi, who seemed bad at first but was hiding a ripped-apart soul, and Mutt, who always looked out for me not matter what. And we were having our first real fight because of it. Because they didn't trust each other the way I did.

And for the time being, Mutt seemed the most reasonable person to pin the drama on.

"Stupid wolf…"

There was a knock on the door.

"What?"

"Natalie, it's me," Elizabeth replied. "I heard you and Mutt. Do you need to talk?"

"No." I didn't want to say another word for the rest of my life.

"Oh… Well, please tell me if you need anything."

"Thanks."

Her footsteps echoed down the hall as she left. I knew I had nothing better to do, so I just put my pajamas on and crawled into bed, wanting to get this troublesome day over with. I didn't cry much more after that. I decided to apologize to Mutt in the morning after I had slept some of this anger off.

It didn't take long for loneliness to overcome me. I remembered last night, sleeping with Mutt's warm embrace around me. I wanted that back, but I still didn't want to be around Mutt. Not now. So I just laid there, staring at the wall, my near-sighted eyes blurring the image into nothingness.

I closed my eyes and whispered a prayer. Tomorrow would be different. Better. We'd continue searching for my family and everything would return to normal.

I sighed. What was _normal_ anymore?

After lying there for about an hour, the sound of silence finally lulled me to sleep.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning. I woke up after a dreamless sleep and trudged downstairs without even taking a moment to think about what I would say to Mutt. Fortunately, he wasn't even awake yet. Only Elizabeth was; she was reclining on the couch, reading a book I couldn't recognize from my angle.<p>

"Morning."

She looked up and smiled. "Good morning. Do you want me to make you breakfast?"

"If it's no trouble, that'd be great."

With her ever-present trademark smile, Elizabeth led me into the kitchen and got to work on some eggs over-medium while I stuck some bread in the toaster.

"So did you hear what Mutt and I were fighting about?" I asked.

"Not entirely," she answered. "Though I had a feeling it was about that vampire that came to talk to you."

"Yeah…" I paused, trying to decided what the right question was. "Mutt still doesn't trust him, which I don't blame him for. But… I do, so do you think it's fair for him to try and change that just because he doesn't?"

"Well, I think it's up to you to put your trust in someone. No one else can decide for you."

"_Thank you,_" I breathed, taking a sip of the water I had unconsciously poured myself.

Mutt still hadn't woken up by the time I finished eating, so I decided to take advantage of his sleep-in and head out to continue my search, narrowly avoiding a touchy conversation with him. Little did I realize that by purposely avoiding him, I had hurt Mutt even more than before.

So while I continued my search in downtown Peach Creek and everywhere south of it, Mutt wandered aimlessly through the woods and the northern areas, keeping his nose open for the Gold Star's scent but finding his mind miles away.

Just like I didn't understand why he was making a big deal out of our trust (or lack thereof) of Dr. Hayashi, he didn't understand why I _wasn't._ He thought I should've still been at least a little suspicious after everything Dr. Hayashi put us through. But more than anything else, Mutt just wanted to make it clear that he was thinking about my safety. He didn't want anyone or anything to hurt me.

But now _he_ was, so the whole purpose was defeated.

"_Nat, can you just think logically for a minute? I'm only trying to do what's best for you! If he has the power to kill me, he could just as easily kill you!"_

"_WELL, SO COULD YOU!"_

That was the part that hurt Mutt most of all. If the argument had gone on any longer, that could've actually happened. If his temper got the better of him, the wolf could've been forced out and done some serious damage. To think he was _this close_ to letting that happen… he never would've forgiven himself.

Feeling hopeless, Mutt sat down on a rock and took a moment to just breathe. He tried to take his mind off of that, reminding himself that there were other things to worry about. We'd sort this out in due time. For now, he had a job to do.

He lifted his head up and took a deep whiff of the forest air.

The first scent he caught was just about the last one he would've hoped for.

"Go away, Masterson!"

"You don't own the woods, Kanker! I don't have to obey everything you say!" Shane shouted back, still hidden by the trees.

"Look, you've already done everything I asked you to do! I don't need your help anymore!"

Shane finally emerged, scowling at Mutt. "And what about Natalie? I'm sure she'd be more than grateful for an extra set of senses. I mean, look where you are now: nowhere. You're not one iota closer to finding her family. If you ask me, you need all the help you can get."

Mutt was about to shoot a rebuttal but was tongue-tied by the truth of that statement. Did he want Shane's help? No, of course not. Was it a good idea? More than likely, yes.

He sighed with defeat. "Fine. Just keep your distance. I don't wanna be smelling you all day."

"The feeling's mutual," Shane mumbled back.

As Mutt stood up and Shane passed him by, something I said last night worked its way back into Mutt's brain: _"Mutt, face it. You have a hard time trusting people that do you wrong."_

Once again, truth struck him on the head like a hammer. Here he was, prancing in circles, trying to find where the Minusions had my family; Shane comes in and offers a hand, and Mutt just wants him gone because they don't like each other. Why was that the only thing standing between them and peaceful cooperation?

"Hey, Shane?"

Shane stopped and turned around, looking rather shocked by Mutt's calm tone.

"Why do we hate each other?"

It seemed like an odd kind of question to him. Nonetheless, he thought it over relatively quickly. "Well… I think it's mostly because you have what I want."

"Right…" Mutt nodded. Rival lovers. That was all. "Look, I understand you like Natalie as much as I do. Who could blame ya? But let's face it: she depends on both of us. So as long as we're gonna be on a team together, we might as well _try_ to get along. We don't have to pretend to like each other. We just have to learn how to cooperate… for Nat's sake."

Shane looked genuinely touched by Mutt's words. A light smile crept up on him and he nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, we might as well."

"Good. So… I'll take care of everything within town limits. Why don't you head north and see if there's any sign of the Gold Star beyond Peach Creek?"

"Can do." He turned around and was about to take off. "Oh, and Mutt?"

"Yeah?"

"Nat would be proud of what you just said."

Mutt smirked and tilted his head. "I'm sure she would be."

"Maybe in the near future, once we've learned to get along, you'll go a bit easier on my pursuit of Nat-"

"Okay, don't push it."

* * *

><p>Come lunchtime, I decided to take a break and sit down at the Peach Melba. I still wasn't ready to confront Mutt, so lunch by myself didn't sound so bad. Every so once in a while, my school friends would pass by and offer their condolences. The Eds even sat down with me for a while until Edd caught on and they politely left me.<p>

I took my time- even though I knew time wasted meant more time in the Minusions' grasp for my family- idly gnawing on my mozzarella sticks and sipping my milkshake, occasionally looking up at the cartoons they were showing on TV.

At one point, the door opened and I turned my attention towards it. Half of me expected Mutt, but that half was proven wrong. It was the _other_ Kankers, Mutt's deranged cousins.

"Oh goodie, goodie!" May squealed. "I can't believe we finally worked up enough money to come in here!"

"May, those odd jobs were awful enough," Marie griped. "But your attitude almost makes it not worth it."

Having barely heard her sister, May asked, "What should I get? A banana split, a turtle sundae, a milkshake… Ooh, they've got _malt_ shakes, girls!"

"Just order something and get outta the way already!" Lee gripped. "I've got a serious hot fudge jones!"

Boy, if I believed in karma…

I sunk into the back corner of my booth, desperately trying not to be seen. After my last run-in with the Kanker Sisters, I dreaded what another encounter with them would bring. And with Mutt not by my side, I felt outnumbered.

Unless, of course, the Kankers, like pretty much every other minor in this town, knew my identity.

While May anxiously tried to decide what kind of ice cream to buy and Lee openly threatened her to get a move on, an exhausted Marie wandered my way and briefly made eye contact with me. I turned away a split second after she did, pretending to take interest in my lunch, but when I looked up out of the corner of my eye, I saw her calmly heading my way.

Her emotions carried no sense of hostility, so I didn't object as she walked up to my booth. But I still couldn't get rid of that sense of foreboding.

Finally, without a single word, Marie slipped into the seat opposite of mine and rested her arms on the table. "Hey."

"…H-Hey…?"

A smile briefly flashed across her face, then she took on a serious expression that looked so foreign on Marie.

I didn't know what to think of her sudden shift in attitude. I was used to Marie being the loud, angry, arrogant sister, so a one-on-one with her seemed far from pleasant. Sure, I was thankful it wasn't Lee, and I probably would've preferred May, but with all things considered… _why?_

"Where's Mutt?" she asked.

"Not sure," I answered.

"Huh. I figured he'd be with you 24/7. You're all he ever talks about when he comes to our place."

"Really."

"Yep." Marie leaned back, folding her arms behind her head in a manner similar to the way Mutt was sitting last night. "Look, I know this sounds out of character for me, but if I said I was sorry about that wedgie, would you forgive me?"

"Oh, that?" The wedgie they had given me the day I met Mutt seemed so insignificant to what had happened afterwards and had thus been pushed to the back of my memory. "Um… Yeah, sure. It's no problem."

"Good. I was afr- I mean _May _was afraid that you'd come back and blast us for it."

That made me chuckle, both from the idea and that flat-out lie. "Well, don't worry about that. I'm not really the revenge type."

Wow. Marie made me _laugh._

"So… those powers of yours. They're pretty cool."

"Thanks."

"I guess it goes well with Mutt, too."

"You know about that?"

"Oh, yeah. Uncle Henry told us that old story a long time ago. What matters to us is that we can't pick on him like we used to anymore."

Again, she made me laugh. Marie was on a roll today. "Hey, I've seen you girls in action. I bet you could take down that big ol' wolf."

Now I was making _her_ laugh. "We'll have to try that sometime."

"You still give him what for every now and then, right?"

"Oh, you know it!"

Okay, this was weird. Here I was, making light conversation with Marie Kanker, of all people! I think I was blowing off some steam leftover from my fight with Mutt last night, but this was the last circumstance I would've expected to do so. And yet… I was _enjoying_ it.

"Yo, Marie!" Lee called. "You getting ice cream or what?"

"Oh, hold your sauce! I'll be right there!" Marie's trademark attitude returned and faded away very briefly. Then she grinned at me again. "Make sure you keep Mutt in check, alright?"

"You got it," I replied, smiling right back at Marie as she got up and rejoined her sisters.

I sighed contently, knowing I'd have to remind myself to do just that later. Then I finished off my milkshake and headed outside, relieved and ready to continue my search.

* * *

><p>Sunset. Still no luck. With a heavy heart, I pushed myself back to Mutt's house, asking myself how much longer Mom, Dad and Jared would last down there. I was considering keeping my search up through the night, but before that, I knew there was no more dodging it. I had to talk to Mutt. I was already starting to miss him.<p>

I stepped into the house, instantly finding Mutt sitting on the couch, looking my way. "No luck?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied. Both of our tones carried no emotion, as if in preparation for whatever we were about to pour out.

Mutt stood up and walked up to me, gently taking my hands in his. "Nat, I… Well, first off, I talked to Shane. He's gonna help us out."

"Oh… Great."

He paused, then sighed. "Look, Nat, we obviously have different views of Dr. Hayashi, but I don't understand why-"

"Mutt," I cut in. "Sorry, but I don't wanna debate this anymore."

"Of course. Me neither."

"So can we just settle with the old forgive and forget routine. We need to be on each other's side."

"Right." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for yelling."

"Me too." I leaned on him and he wrapped his arms around me. "And I'm sorry about what I said. I know you wouldn't hurt me."

"That doesn't mean I don't have the ability to," Mutt murmured. "If I had said one more thing last night, I probably would've lost control of myself."

"Well, you didn't, and that's what counts."

"…Yeah, I guess."

That's when I remembered something. Dr. Hayashi had told me that Mutt and Oliver had received a small amount of the Blue Star, and I had meant to tell Mutt before our argument broke out.

"So…" Mutt said as he brought me up to eye level with him. "Tomorrow we should figure out a new approach, because we're obviously not getting anywhere the way we're working now."

"Right."

"Let's just try not to worry anymore." He gave me the old sideways smile. "Things will work out."

I smiled and nodded once, then turned serious again. "Mutt, there's something I forgot to-"

And just my luck, my cell phone interrupted me. I scowled hard and pulled the phone out of my pocket, telling Mutt to hold on real quick. I perked up again when I saw Shane's name flashing on the screen.

"Hello?"

"_Natalie, it's me._" Shane sounded breathless and anxious.

"Yeah, I know. What's up, Shane?"

"_Are you doing anything right now?_"

Other than telling Mutt what could very well be a vital piece of information, "No, not really. Why? What's up?"

"_Can you and Mutt come up to Lemon Brook?_" He took a deep breath. "_I think I found something._"


	9. Through the Blaze

**Chapter 9: Through the Blaze**

Mutt and I left without a word. Mutt drove north in his dad's truck while I flew right behind him, high enough to not be noticed. Shane hadn't told me much over the phone, but he told me enough to boost my confidence. Finally, we could very well be one step closer to rescuing my family.

Once we entered Lemon Brook, Mutt parked the truck at a nearby Rite-Aid and continued on foot. We didn't stop until we were at the exact spot where Shane said to meet him: right by the river that deposits into the creek.

I touched down next to Shane just as Mutt came to a halt between us. I took a quick moment to observe our location; there was a lush forest surrounding us on all sides and the river looked dark and murky. Even still, it was quite a lovely scene.

"Shane, what's up?" I asked.

"Well…" He looked up and down the river. "I was following the creek northward, then I kept going once I got to the point where the river starts it. Then, right about here, I saw a Minusion dive into the water."

Mutt raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And it _didn't… come… out._"

I stared at Shane for a moment, then directed my attention to the river. I could just barely see my reflection in the dark water, but that wasn't what caught my attention. When I actually took a moment to focus, I could sense strong amounts of Gold Star energy, and it seemed to be coming from the river.

"You know, I've never been through here before," I said, kneeling down in the grass. "It's hard to believe this is the river that deposits into the creek back home. The water looks a lot murkier up here."

To make things even weirder, when I dipped my finger in the water, the ripples that spread out _glowed_ a dazzling white. Startled by this, I retreated my hands and examined my index finger, finding it wet but otherwise unaffected. Only a few seconds later, my finger felt dry again, as if the water had simply evaporated off instantaneously.

"Okay, there's definitely something weird about this river."

"Not only that…" Mutt added, his nose high in the air, "but I think there have been werewolves around here."

"Werewolves, huh?" I repeated. "Well, with a crescent moon, we won't have to worry about them. Which means this is our only problem."

Actually… I had a few problems. Aside from the Minusions and our rescue mission, I had to worry about going underwater to get to all that. I'm not much as much of a swimmer as I used to be, and even then, having my head submerged without something covering my eyes and nose was never pleasant.

Yes, I have many pet peeves. I know.

"Uh…" I stood back up. "Can you guys do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"Sure. What?"

I swallowed hard. "Could one of you go check it out down there before we all plunge head-first into who knows what?"

Mutt shot me a vacant stare. "Um… Sure, Nat. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just… don't like swimming underwater."

"Oh, I feel you on that one," Shane responded. "I've never been a big fan of swimming either. You can't breathe, you can hardly see, you get water in your nose…"

"Shane, that's not helping," I squeaked.

"Oh… sorry."

Mutt sighed. "Okay, I'll go. Be right back." He then yanked off his shirt (much to Shane's chagrin), threw it aside and dove straight into the river. This move alone made me remember just how gorgeous Mutt was.

As he disappeared into the river, the water tossed up in his wake illuminated, much like it did for me. Then, once the water settled, the glow vanished and the river turned dark again.

"I don't like this," Shane sighed once we were alone.

"I don't either," I agreed. "If I'm right and there's something supernatural about this river, the King's gonna have some kind of trick up his sleeve if he's using it."

Eventually I sat back down in the grass, contemplating what was about to happen. Here we were, by a river in the outer limits of Lemon Brook, where the Minusions could possibly be holding my family hostage somewhere in said river.

Something made me sigh.

Shane sat down next to me. "What's up?"

"Nothing," I replied. "Well, okay, _everything._ Everything is up."

He blinked. "Well, that's not vague."

I took another look at myself in the river. Despite the darkness of the water, I could still see the glow of my wings. "I don't know. Times like this make me wish that I never became the Blue Star successor."

"Yeah, I hear that," Shane mumbled.

After a long pause, Shane interrupted a train of thought I went on about how Mutt had been underwater for a long time. "Natalie… if you had never become the Popcorn Fairy and I had never become a Star Wolf, do you think we'd still be friends?"

"Of course we would!" I responded. "Our supernatural sides weren't the first things we bonded over. I'm sure we'd still find ways to get together if we weren't involved in all this madness."

He smiled. "Really?"

"Really."

Mutt finally resurfaced, taking a deep breath as he did. "Well, I definitely found something."

"What?" I inched closer to him.

As he climbed out, I watched in wonder as- just like it did to me- the river water evaporated off of Mutt in a matter of seconds. "First off," he said, "when I was down there, it hardly felt like I was underwater. Sure, I couldn't breathe, but the water's very soft and gentle, almost to the point where I could barely feel it. I could even keep my eyes open without the water stinging them."

I smiled slightly. That would make the experience so much easier on me.

"There is one weird thing, though…" Mutt continued. "I could be crazy, but the river itself seems bottomless."

"How could a _river_ be bottomless?" Shane asked skeptically.

"I don't know, okay? Even if it was true- which I'm not saying it is- the pressure at the bottom kept me from going all the way down."

"So… there's still pressure?" I muttered.

"Yeah… that was the harshest part. But here's the important part." Mutt looked us both in the eyes to make sure we were listening. "There's a drain pipe down there, sticking out of the side. Inside it, there's a wall of Gold Star energy."

My eyes widened. He found it.

"What was behind it?" Shane questioned.

"I don't know."

"But that's what we're gonna find out," I concluded, standing up. "I have a good feeling this is the lead we've been looking for. My parents and Jared have to be down there somewhere. It's now or never, guys."

Mutt and Shane stood up with me and nodded.

"Now let's do this like Brutus."

Mutt grabbed my hand. "I'll help you every stroke of the way down."

"Thanks."

"Alright. Let's get a move on," Shane said as he threw himself into the river.

Then, just as anyone would suspect, my confidence went bye-bye.

"Baby steps, Nat," Mutt encouraged me. "We don't have to dive. We'll just… ease our way in."

I just nodded and slowly took the first few steps down the river's ravine, tightly gripping Mutt's hand along the way. I was surprised to find that he had been right about barely feeling wet; sure, my shoes and socks started to feel a little damp, but it wasn't nearly as bad as getting soaked with normal water.

Soon we were swimming with our heads above the water. I looked down, trying not to flip out as Mutt pulled me closer to him. "Ready?"

Just out of habit, I pinched my nose and tightly shut my eyes. "Just pull me down."

"Okay. If that's what you want."

He grabbed my arms. I took a deep breath.

The next thing I knew, there was a soft, almost soothing sensation on my face that I could practically compare to the feeling of someone brushing their fingers along my cheek. This couldn't be right. Even though I felt the water's pressure, I could hardly feel the water.

Something shook my glasses, which as I took as a silent message telling me to open my eyes. I hesitated in doing so, but eventually I decided to get it over with, shooting them open in a flash.

_You've gotta be kidding me! My contacts hurt more than this!_

This just _couldn't_ be right.

Mutt, face-to-face with me, gave me a proud smile before pointing downward. I followed his finger, spotting Shane hovering right next to the drain pipe. Then I nodded and we both swam his way; I had to take a few extra strokes to keep up with Mutt just because I didn't want to risk unplugging my nose.

And sure enough, about a foot inside the pipe, there was a glowing, golden wall of pure energy.

I had an idea, but I needed words to convey it, so I pointed up and led the guys back to the surface.

Once we all caught our breath, I got right to it. "Okay, guys. Here's what we have to do. You guys swim ahead of me. I'll shoot a popcorn blast at the wall to create an opening. That way, once we're all through and if the energy regenerates back into a wall, I'll take the force of it."

"Whoa, Nat, are you sure that's a good idea?" Mutt asked worriedly.

"It's better than nothing. I've been hit with that stuff plenty of times."

"You know, I think Mutt has a point," Shane said. "The Gold Star is your opposite. It's designed to harm _you_, not us."

I sighed. "I know what you're getting at, Shane, but I couldn't put you guys at risk. I know what I'm doing."

They hesitated.

"You trust me, right?"

"Of course we do, Nat," Mutt breathed.

"Then please do what I say."

"Alright… alright. Let's go."

I plugged my nose back up and followed them back underwater, closing my eyes and opening them again once we were submerged.

We quickly got into formation; Shane was right in front, Mutt next to him and back a little ways, and me clinging to the side of the pipe with my feet. I charged up a blast in my free hand, which took more than twice as much energy since we were underwater. One shot was all I had the power for, so I didn't release it until I had charged it up enough.

Once there was a decent-sized hole in the wall, Shane immediately shot through it. The hole started to close once Mutt was halfway through, so by the time I was swimming through it, the energy was clamping around my torso. But I made it through in one piece with only a little bit of a burning feeling.

The reformed wall blocked off the water on the other side again, thus allowing the water on our side to flow down the pipe until it was finally drained and we could breathe again.

Shane coughed a few times. "Why didn't you just blast it once for each of us?"

"My blasts are practically fire," I replied, shaking my hair as the water instantly dried out of it. "They're harder to maintain underwater."

"Ah…" Shane then grabbed his head and slumped backwards, his face twisting in pain as if he had suddenly been hit with a migraine.

"Shane, what's… wrong?" But I quickly figured it out for myself.

Gravity. Something was very wrong with gravity down here. It seemed like it was pushing harder on us and at the same time had lost its sense of direction, therefore pushing us in more directions than just down.

"What the… heck…?" I groaned. I was feeling dizzy and nauseous, yet somehow, Mutt and Shane looked worse than I felt.

"What's wrong with this place?" Mutt groaned.

"I don't know," I responded. "But if you guys don't feel up to it, I can go on alone."

"No… Nat…" Mutt tried to reason with me.

"Shh…" I knelt next to Mutt and cradled him slightly. "Whatever's doing this is hurting you two more than me. You don't have to overwork yourselves. I can take it from here."

He took a few deep breaths. "You sure?"

"I'm sure." I gave him a quick kiss, then moved over to Shane and kissed him on the forehead. "Try not to worry about me too much."

"Like that's possible," Shane joked light-heartedly.

I just giggled once before turning away.

I had to keep telling myself to push past the pain as I crawled through the pipe army-style. I knew I had come too far to quit, and even if Mutt and Shane couldn't be by my side to help me, I was prepared- if only slightly- to face whatever was about to be thrown at me. Besides, I had dealt with worse pain than this. It was nothing new.

The pipe just kept going. Soon I could hardly see two feet in front of my face. I lit up my hand with Blue Star fire, illuminating my path just enough to keep me going. I got to asking myself how in the world a six- or seven-foot Minusion could fit through this thing when I could barely stand up in it.

Then I started thinking about what exactly I was getting myself into. This situation spelled trouble. Here I was, in a pipe connecting to some other-worldly river, where the forces of gravity were random and uneven. The Minusions were leading me here in pursuit of my family…

Wait… were they? Shane told me he saw a Minusion come down here and the Gold Star wall was a dead giveaway, but what were the other obvious hints? If this was a trap, they weren't making the path to it very obvious.

Why here of all places? How did they get me here?

"_Well, I'm sure things will turn out for the best, even though it seems like you're up a creek right now."_

Mayor Dengen's words suddenly came back to me. "Up a creek." This river was north of and deposited into Peach Creek.

"_You know the old saying: When life gives you lemons…"_

I was underneath the town of Lemon Brook.

"_When in doubt, I've found that talking a stroll through the forest helps ease the tension in my mind."_

No… No, that's crazy. The mayor of Peach Creek couldn't possibly have led me here!

Could he?

A light appeared not too far ahead, encouraging me to pick up the pace. Once there, I found that it was a hole in the pipe that had been forcibly torn open. I quickly crawled through it, finding myself in an underground cavern that was half earth, half cement. At least I could stand up again, even though gravity was still working against me.

After shaking myself off and taking a few deeps breaths, I waded through the ankle-deep water down the cavern, keeping my ears perked for anything suspicious. I wished I could figure out what was weakening Mutt and Shane; I could use their keen senses.

Boy, I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't know if I missed being a hybrid. Those advanced senses could definitely come in handy.

Then it turned out that I didn't need them. Just down the cavern was the unmistakable ring of Minusion sonar. And a lot of it.

To avoid making any excess noise, I forced my wings- yes, they were still there; I never folded them away- to lift me up and take me down the long, wide hall until I reached a corner. Then I lightly touched back down and leaned against the wall, using only the sonar sounds and shadows on the walls to tell me what was going on.

"_Are you sure she'll be here?"_

"_Positive. One of her followers saw me come down here. She'll be here in no time."_

Hearing them call Shane my "follower" riled me up more than it should've, but that was overshadowed by the fact that based on the shadows moving along the concrete wall, there were too many Minusions to count.

"_Honestly, she should be here by now! Who knows how much longer these three will last?"_

"These three"? Yes! Mom, Dad and Jared! I finally found them!

"_I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees how many of us there are."_

"_Don't get cocky, Dezba. I heard she took down a Soldier without even transforming."_

"_That was one Soldier! She couldn't possibly fight all of us alone!"_

I had to force myself not to gulp. This trap was going to be a big one.

"_What if she's not alone? What if she brought those friends of hers?"_

"_Don't worry. The King said that the portal will paralyze the Star Wolves."_

Portal…?

"_It should take its toll on her too, so just image! One weak teenage girl against all of us at full force! We can't lose!"_

So this… "portal" that was weakening me and putting Mutt and Shane out of commission had no effect on them. _That's so not fair!_

Hey, who said life was fair?

I decided that now was the time to act. I backed away from the corner a few feet, charged up a ball of Blue Star-charged popcorn and slowly pushed it into the air. Then I shot it forward, mentally directing it around the corner and towards where I felt the large concentration of Gold Star energy was. Once I heard the resulting explosion, I turned around and flew all the way back to where the drain pipe had been torn open.

The volume of their sonar noises had been knocked up a few notches in panic. _"Aah! She's out there!"_

"_How many are gone?"_

"_Just three, sir!"_

"_We have to move! Now!"_

"_Alright! You, stay here and guard the hostages! The rest of you, CHARGE!"_

I heard the multitude of footsteps splashing through the water, charging up my hands in anticipation. I already had a plan. I just had to pray that it would work.

The first wave of Soldiers and Warriors appeared down the hall, charging at full force. I didn't move for a long time, letting them come to me. Once they were about three quarters of the way there, I flew up and shot a huge, long blast at the front half of the crowd. Those who took the blunt force exploded into dust and retreated in an instant. The rest were just knocked aside and gravely weakened.

Just the shock from this one attack was enough to stop them all. A Warrior, clearly acting as the commander of this attack, growled and shouted via sonar, _"Don't just stand there! Bring her down!"_

A few bursts of Gold Star blasts on the cavern floor launched several Warriors into the air, each of them gliding my way. I didn't have time or the energy for this and I knew it, so I simply shot those closest to me out of the way and flew right past the rest of them. Some Minusions on the floor tried to jump up and grab me, but I was too out of reach for them.

"_No!"_ the commander shouted. _"Turn around, turn around!"_

They tried to, but with so many of them in one hallway, it wasn't easy. I couldn't help but smirk and yell over my shoulder, "Maneuverability is a real pain, _huh?_"

Let me say this: I love flying.

After passing the end of the line of Minusions, I found myself in a much wider room. In the far corner, five Soldiers were guarding a wall of cinderblocks, which I knew was holding my family. I quickly shot blast after blast at them, and in my fury I destroyed them easily. The band would soon catch up with me, so this was my only chance to act.

I landed and hurriedly knocked the cinderblocks down. Once the wall was destroyed, I found myself unable to keep my body from freezing up at the sight of my family. They were unharmed, thank God, but Gold Star energy was wrapped around each of them like a cocoon, keeping them in a deep sleep.

They probably had no idea what was going on.

The sound of the returning Minusions snapped me back into action, dashing over to my dad first. I set my hands ablaze and clawed into the Gold Star covering, the blue fire dissolving it as it spread. But it wasn't dissolving fast enough. I didn't want to blast the covering head-on for fear of harming or waking up my family (the less they knew, the better).

I hadn't even completely freed my dad by the time the Minusions had caught up to me. Now I was worried. I hadn't planned for this and I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head.

They surrounded me. I just stared at them, still working on the covering.

The commander jumped at me.

I screamed, threw my hands up and closed my eyes.

_**WHAM**_

"_**YIPE!**_"

I had no idea what just happened. I was unharmed. Something had stopped the Minusion in its pounce, and whatever it was, it wasn't me.

When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to see a familiar face smiling back at me.

"_Dr. Hayashi?_"

"Miss me?" he asked as he jumped off the Minusion he just tackled.

"Yeah, I- I'm so- W-What're you doing here?"

The Minusions didn't wait for us. They charged in again, but Dr. Hayashi jumped in and held them off for me while I continued to break the Gold Star's hold on my parents and brother. Oliver appeared out of nowhere and joined the fight too. All the while, Dr. Hayashi explained, "We came through here because of the werewolf smell lingering by the river. Then we caught you, your friends and the Gold Star's scent and came down to lend a hand."

"How are Mutt and Shane?"

"Fine. We dropped them off back on land."

I wondered why the "portal" wasn't affecting them like it was the guys, but I figured there'd be plenty of time to ask that later.

"There!" It took a while, but I finally freed all three of them. "Help me get them out of here!"

"On it!" Oliver shouted, scooping up my mom in one arm and Jared in the other.

As Dr. Hayashi picked my dad up, I flew up and started violently blasting the Minusions, creating a path for the vampires. The Minusions' panic was hard to miss; I knew we had outsmarted them.

In no time at all, we reached the drain pipe. I landed and continued to hold the Minusions off while Dr. Hayashi and Oliver carried my family into the hole. Then I jumped in after them.

"YES!" I cheered, relief washing over me. "We made it! Thank you_ so_ much, you guys! For a minute, I thought I was screwed!"

"Well… happy to be of service," Dr. Hayashi chuckled.

I looked back and voiced the question I had asked myself earlier. "Really, how do they expect to follow us in a pipe this small?"

"Maybe following us isn't their intention," Oliver said grimly.

"Why not? Their whole reason for kidnapping my family was to lure-"

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!**_"

A scream from the front end of the pipe cut me off. Shane burst through the Gold Star wall, coming out mostly unscathed. If he was feeling any fatigue, his panic was enough to hide it.

"Shane, what's the prob-?"

"_**THEY'RE SETTING THE WHOLE BLOODY PLACE ON FIRE!**_"

The three of us stopped, pausing before asking simultaneously, "_What?_"

* * *

><p>Upon reaching the surface of the river, we were all greeted by a raging forest fire. Everywhere we looked, hot orange flames scraped along the fields. Trees lit up, branches falling off and spitting out more sparks. Dense smoke covered the sky. No clear escape route was visible.<p>

"Okay…" I shakily spoke up. "Props to Oliver and his logical mind."

"Nat!" Mutt jumped out of the blazing forest and quickly dashed up to the river as we climbed out. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, Mutt. You?"

"Okay." He looked back. "There's no clear-cut path to the other side of the forest, but I did find a relatively safe route that we could navigate. I can lead the way and pull the truck up here."

"Alright." I looked at the other three as Oliver handed my mom to Shane. "Think you guys can handle this?"

Shane only swallowed hard. Dr. Hayashi and Oliver didn't look too encouraged either.

"Oh, get a grip," Mutt groaned. "You can handle this. You two are vampires, for Pete's sake!"

"Yes, and do you have any idea what _kills_ our kind?" Dr. Hayashi snapped.

"Um…" Shane mumbled. "A… stake?"

"Staking is a myth. _This…_" Dr. Hayashi pointed at the fire. "_This_ is what kills us!"

I tried to pull myself together. "Okay… Okay, guys, we can do this. We'll just press on and move as fast as we can. Mutt, you lead the way. I'll fly overhead to make sure the path-"

Suddenly, something shot out of the water. Then another. Then two more. Then three more. They whizzed over our heads and landed a few feet between us and the fiery forest. It was Gold Star energy, and when it landed, each bud reformed into a Minusion Soldier.

So _that's_ how they travelled through the pipe.

"Not… fair."

"Don't panic, Nat," Mutt whispered. "I'll lead, they'll carry your parents and brother, and you can take care of these things."

I nodded. It might not have been the most thought-out plan, but it was all we had.

I threw a hand out and blasted the Minusions aside. "Move! Now!"

Then we all sprinted into the forest. The heat and the smoke hit me like a ton of bricks, but I pushed through it, covering my mouth and nose every now and then when I didn't need both hands. Mutt forged the path through the fire. Shane, Oliver and Dr. Hayashi carried my family like their lives depended on it (because it _did_). I shot at the Minusions when they came too close and sometimes blasted obstacles out of our way.

Okay, we were doing alright. No major crises yet.

At least until an entire tree came falling down, separating Dr. Hayashi and me from the rest of the group.

"NAT!" Mutt screamed from the other side.

"Keep going!" I shouted back. "We'll catch up!"

Dr. Hayashi looked up the fallen tree trunk. Though the flames made the tree undistinguishable, its trunk was massive, a few feet taller than him. Nonetheless, he told me, "I could jump over this if it wasn't burning all over."

"Well then…" I shot a long blast at a nearby Minusion, effectively destroying it. "Let me try _this!_"

I flew up as high as I could without coming in contact with the burning canopy. Then I shot Blue Star energy at a section of the burning trunk. The two fires snuffed each other out, creating a charred but otherwise clear path over the fallen tree.

"Go!" I yelled, separating my blasts so the blue fire walled the wildfire back. "Follow the others' scent to safety! I'll keep it clear for you and regroup on the other side!"

"What are you going to do?" Dr. Hayashi nervously asked.

"I'm gonna take care of the Minusions. They're going to try to stop you when you land on the other side. I can hold them back as long as I have to. Just make sure everyone's safe!"

He nodded, his face reflection nothing but concern… for _me._ Then he backed up, ran at the trunk and took a mighty leap over it. Once he had cleared it, I released my hold on the fire on the tree and shot at the two Minusions that just jumped out of the flames, launching them backwards before they could jump on Dr. Hayashi and my dad.

Soon, Dr. Hayashi had disappeared into the fiery forest, leaving me to kill the rest of these Minusions. I tried to do it quickly, not knowing how much longer I could handle this smoke. One was already destroyed, then two. Three. Four. Five. Six. I tried to use the wildfire to my advantage, pushing them into it to weaken them before delivering the final blow. At last, all seven of them had been destroyed.

Now I just had to get out of here.

I flew upwards, navigating through the burning branches and leaves so I could fly above the fire to safe ground. It wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it would be; the flames were beyond control by that point and getting past them was next to impossible. This was proved true when I veered to close to a branch and caught one of my wings on fire.

Intense pain shot through my spine from this encounter, causing a scream to tear from my throat. I tried to get away, having absolutely no idea where I was going anymore, but too soon the Blue Star's safety mechanism kicked in and my wings were forced back into me to prevent further damage.

And I was still thirty feet above the ground.

"Oh no, no, no, NO, _NO!_"

I tried to turn myself into a position where the impact with the forest floor would cause the least damage, failing horribly at this and instead landing on my side, crushing my left wrist in the process. Another wave of pain struck me, but this time I just cried out in silent agony, tears stinging my face. Then I when into a coughing fit as the smoke finally started to overpower me.

I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything.

Though I could just barely see the tree branch as it came toppling down right on top of me.

* * *

><p>Following Mutt, Shane and Oliver's scent wasn't easy in this thick atmosphere, but Dr. Hayashi still pressed on. He knew he had a job to do, carrying my dad out of this fire, but all he was worried about was me. Sure I could handle myself, but <em>was<em> I?

_What's wrong with me? Why did I just leave her back there?_

Meanwhile, Shane and Oliver were anxiously standing guard outside the forest while Mutt went a few blocks down to get his truck. Oliver was watching the fire, waiting for somebody to emerge from it. Shane was calling 911, pleading for them to send the fire department and possibly an ambulance right away. Soon enough, sirens were blaring on the other side of town.

Once he hung up, Shane knelt down next to my mom and Jared, double-checking to make sure they were okay. "Anything yet, Oliver?"

"Nothing," he replied.

Shane gripped his fists and shivered with anxiety. Something had happened. Of _course_ something had happened. Something _always_ happens when a large group gets separated in a natural disaster like this.

Mutt pulled the truck up right behind them, turned the engine off (as if one less thing spitting out carbon monoxide would help), jumped out and asked, "What's going on?"

"Dad and Nat haven't come out yet," Oliver worriedly replied.

"And you guys haven't _done anything yet?_" Mutt shouted. "Nat should've been here by now!"

"Well, she's _NOT!_" Oliver yelled back. "It's not _our_ fault!"

"I know. It's mine."

Dr. Hayashi had appeared before them when no one was looking, his face solemn and determined beyond a man's natural capacity.

"Here." He laid my dad down next to my mom and brother. "Now if you gentlemen would excuse me…" Then he turned and headed back towards the forest.

"What- Dad! You're not actually going back in there, are you?" Oliver called out.

Dr. Hayashi stopped and looked back at them. "I'm not going to let Natalie get herself killed in there because of me! I _have_ to make sure she's okay!"

Mutt wasn't following any of this. "_What?_ Are you completely _mental?_"

"Maybe! Now I'll be right back!" And with that, Dr. Hayashi ran back into the fire and disappeared again.

Without having to carry someone along the way, he could move through the forest with twice as much speed and agility, but that didn't make Dr. Hayashi's rescue attempt any less dangerous. Still, he didn't care. Getting burned every few seconds and inhaling smoke wasn't as fatal to him as it was to a human. His one major snag was that flames had spread to places he had trekked on his way out, so he had to circle around and forge new paths. Tracing my scent wasn't easy either now that the dense smoke practically covered everything.

Why was Dr. Hayashi so concerned about me? Who knows? Even he didn't fully understand it. Maybe it was because I was the only one who had sympathized with him in a long time. Maybe it was because I had risked my life for him in this death trap. But somehow, somewhere deep inside him, Dr. Hayashi knew that I meant something special to him. Wasn't sure how. He just knew that he needed me.

And right now, I needed him.

Finally, he found a speck of blue just ahead of him, that speck being my shirt, which was covered in a fair amount of soot by that point. He ran up to me and dropped to his knees. "Natalie!"

I was knocked out, a tree branch lightly pinning me to the ground, my left wrist twisted in an awkward position and my breathing shallow and labored. Dr. Hayashi easily threw the branch off and inspected me. Other than my wrist and breathing, nothing seemed to be wrong with me.

I coughed a few times, slowly working my way back into consciousness. Dr. Hayashi held me up and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Dr… Hayashi?" I could barely work up the strength to speak clearly. "What's going…?"

"Just relax," he said with comfort, lifting me into his arms. "And hang tight. I'm going to get you out of here."

Once he had a good grip on me, he took off running again. As I looked up at his face, so determined to get me out of this blaze, I felt myself smile. The Dr. Hayashi I first met would probably never do this, yet here he was, rescuing me with regard only for my wellbeing.

Then the darkness clouded over me again and I drifted back into unconsciousness, my limp hand slipping out of his grip.

Dr. Hayashi spared one look down at my tranquil face, then his gaze refocused on the path he was making to safe grounds. He pushed his way around the towers of fire, pulling me closer to him in tight spaces. He jumped over obstacles effortlessly. He ran faster than I could possibly imagine.

His red eyes burned with an even greater intensity than the fire.

Finally, headlights appeared up ahead. At the same time, accompanied by a series of cracks, a shower of bark, wood and fiery branches started to rain down. Dr. Hayashi sprinted through it, covering me from the rubble and taking the full heat of it.

A tree on the edge of the forest started to crumble and topple over in his path. Seeing this, Dr. Hayashi had to roll his eyes and how obvious it was, but he still pressed on. Once he met with the collapsing tree, he whirled around and slammed back-first into the charred trunk. It shattered into hundreds of pieces, scattering in multiple directions, while Dr. Hayashi collapsed a few feet away.

Mutt, Shane and Oliver gathered around him, looking down at my limp, dirty body. "She's okay!" Dr. Hayashi gasped. "She's passed out from the smoke and her wrist might be fractured, but she's okay!"

Without hesitation, Mutt picked me up in a tight bear hug, tears pouring down his face. Even if I wasn't awake to hear it, he still whispered, "Hang tight, Nat. The ambulance is almost here."

Shane had to come over and make sure I was still alright. He didn't even care that Mutt was giving me mouth-to-mouth right in front of him.

Oliver helped his father up, mindlessly dusting his coat of in the process. "How's Natalie's family?" Dr. Hayashi asked.

"They're fine," Oliver replied. "Mutt put them in the back seat of his truck. They're still asleep, though, and we don't know how much of this they'll remember when they wake up."

Dr. Hayashi nodded and looked over his shoulder. Firemen were starting to spray the woods and a helicopter was flying in from the north. "Let's get out of here before someone sees us."

"We should probably call Sora," Oliver suggested as they started to run away.

"Yeah, we probably should." Dr. Hayashi looked back again and called to Mutt and Shane, "We'll follow you to the hospital!"

"_Don't!_" Mutt spat viciously.

"Okay!" Shane replied much more calmly.

Once they were far enough from the fire, Dr. Hayashi huffed. "You'd think he'd be a little more grateful after saving his girlfriend."

"Speaking of that." Oliver stopped them both. "What were you _thinking?_ That was probably the most reckless thing I've ever seen you do! And that's saying a lot considering _I'm_ the teenager and _you're_ the adult! Now can you _please_ explain what in the freaking world compelled you to throw yourself into that fire just to save one girl?"

Dr. Hayashi watched as water was sprayed in all directions, trying to calm the flames down. "Just that."

"Just _what?_"

"I threw myself in there for her. I had to save her, Oliver. I just… I just _had_ to."

Silence fell as they both watched the spectacle less than a mile away from them. "I don't get it, Dad," Oliver sighed. "I've never seen you risk yourself like that before. You could've killed yourself back there."

"I know."

"So what did Natalie do that's suddenly got you caring so much about her?"

Dr. Hayashi looked down at the ground. "She saved me."

Oliver shot him a weird look. "Saved you from… the fire, or…?"

They both watched the ambulance pass by. "Nevermind," Dr. Hayashi said. "Let's go."

So they both ran in silence, keeping out of sight as they followed the ambulance to the hospital. While Oliver pulled his cell phone out to tell Sora what happened, Dr. Hayashi mentally told himself that whatever happened, he'd make sure I was safe until the very end.


	10. Trust

**Chapter 10: Trust**

It's funny how some things you remember and other things you don't.

In my sleep- though it was a state of unconsciousness rather than true, voluntary sleep- one image stood out from the darkness in my head. One image that kept me from teetering over the edge of hopelessness. That one image was Dr. Hayashi's face as he looked into my eyes, just before he carried me out of the fire. So terrified. So gentle. So heart-wrenching. For some odd reason, as my brain started to reactivate, that was the only thing I could recollect for a long time.

But something didn't feel right. I was still hot. I still felt trapped.

When I opened my eyes, I didn't see the image in my head. I saw the forest canopy with the night sky etched between the leaves. Bright yellow lights blinded me from all around. My pain was still fully and unbearably present.

Despite the torture in my back, lungs, wrist and pretty much everywhere else, I forced myself to sit up. Why was I still in the forest? Where was Dr. Hayashi? Where was everyone else? There was no way I imagined all that. I just _couldn't_ have.

I suddenly came to full attention when I realized what the yellow light was. All around me, the wildfire that had trapped me here had turned gold.

Gold Star fire. I was surrounded by Gold Star fire.

"Oh God…"

At that time, I decided that I couldn't wait for someone to save me. I had to get going. So I stood up, wobbling for a moment before I broke into a slow run (or maybe a fast walk), stumbling a few times but still pushing myself on. The flames closed in on me, swerving in unnatural ways as if the fire had a mind of its own.

With my good hand, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a kernel. I had a feeling that my wings weren't done healing from their burns, but it was still worth a shot. When I popped it and ate it, my wings did appear, though still slightly charred and torn.

I lifted myself up. I flew to the best of my ability.

No matter how much I tried to fly in a straight path, I seemed to be going in circles. I kept passing the same patches of forest over and over and over again, and all the while, the Gold Star fire kept raining down on me, closing off the only paths I had.

That's when I asked myself something. Was this even real?

The flames shot up like a tidal wave, crashing down towards me. In my weakened state, I had no way to dodge it, so I took the full force of the strike. It smacked me to the ground, my pain doubling over and my glasses tumbling off my face.

_Wait, where'd the grass go?_

The ground was suddenly a hard and barren stretch of rock. The light from the golden flames disappeared. A new light was shining down on me.

But with that light came a shadow, accompanied by a series of loud booms. A shroud of black covered me and a blurry image appeared in the upper half of my peripheral.

Yes, this was a dream. _The _dream. _My_ dream. My nightmare.

I slowly lifted my head up, meeting the glowing eyes of King Minusion high above me. I knew too well what came next, but I just didn't want to relive it. As he lifted his mighty paw up, I clenched my fists, sparking up splinters of pain in my left wrist, and closed my eyes. I tried to fight it. I tried to wake myself up before the inevitable happened.

Hot. So hot. Everything still felt hot.

I wheezed one word into the rocky floor.

"_Doc… tor…_"

The impact came. The pressure came down on me.

A blast of intense light blinded me.

Finally, it was over. I was back in reality. I was okay.

Well, scratch that. I definitely felt anything but okay.

Once my eyes adjusted to the light, the only thing they registered was a fuzzy white room. If one thing was for sure, this just meant I wasn't wearing my glasses. Before I went looking for them, I tried to piece together what I could.

I was in a bed, one not nearly as comfortable as mine, with the head raised at a slight angle. A tube was attached to my face, pushing cool oxygen into my nose. That alone brought me to believe that I was in the hospital.

Someone was standing by the foot of the bed, someone tall and thin with brown hair. At first I thought it was Mutt, but his haircut and body proportions contradicted this. Still, he looked a lot like Mutt, but he was wearing a white uniform, which made me realize who it was.

"Henry?"

Just saying his name worsened the ache in my chest.

He looked at me; I could just barely make out his smile. "Ah, Natalie. Thank God you're okay." He walked around to the left side of the bed and handed me something; when they were close enough to my face, I found that they were my glasses, polished and ready for me to use again.

"Thanks." I gratefully put them on and took a better look around. Yes, I was in a hospital room, hooked up to a breathing machine (no, I don't know what it's specifically called) with my left wrist in a mild cast.

I looked up at Henry. "What happened?"

"Well, you passed out in a forest fire," he said, stating the obvious. "Your left wrist received a minor fracture, but your accelerated healing should fix that by a few weeks' notice. And the smoke really got to you. You might not have made it if you were in there any longer."

My eyes rested on the ceiling as I found myself unable to comprehend just how close to death I was. "Dr. Hayashi saved me."

"That he did," Henry sighed. "You'll have to stay here for the night. I hope you don't mind."

I nodded and turned back to him. "How is everybody?"

"They're fine. Your parents and your brother came in to check on you a few hours ago."

"M-My…?" My eyes widened. "They're okay?"

Henry smiled. "They're just fine. They don't remember a thing about their abduction."

I let out a relieved sigh. "Great."

"Well, Mutt's right outside. Want me to go get him?"

"Yes," I immediately answered.

He nodded and walked over to the door, momentarily stepping out into the hallway.

The news of my family greatly comforted me. They were unharmed and my identity was still a secret. So how much did they know?

I found a clock nearby. It was going on midnight.

The door opened back up and in stepped Henry, Mutt and Sora. I immediately noticed that Sora looked different. Her skin was darker, her ears were less pointed, and her eyes… I could just barely tell from across the room, but her eyes looked bright green. She looked _human._

As soon as the door closed behind them, though, Sora reached into the neck of her blouse, pulled out a silver necklace and pressed something on its charm. There was a slight warbling sound, and seconds later, Sora once again looked like her vampire self.

A cloaking device. Would this girl _ever_ cease to amaze me?

"Nat…" Mutt rushed over to my bed, looking me over with absolute guilt. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I replied. "It kinda hurts when I breathe or talk, but other than that…"

Sora took a seat on the other side of the bed. "The guys told me what happened. That took a lot of courage, what you did back there."

"Thanks." I looked at Mutt. "So… my family's okay?"

"Yep," he breathed. "They left when visiting hours ended. None of them have any memories of their kidnapping. I just told them that we had been hanging out all week and that you were caught in a forest fire while- _ahem_- taking a walk."

Well, that excuse had some amount of truth in it, but hey, whatever works.

"And Sora told me a little bit about that river."

"Really?" I turned back to her.

Sora nodded and quickly collected her thoughts. "The river is a portal."

"Yeah, that's what the Minusions called it."

She took a deep breath. "This is a little complicated, so stay with me. Our planet is made up of three worlds stacked on top of each other. On top is our world, the Mortal World. At the bottom is the Netherworld, which is on top of the sub-world of Hell. And in the middle is the Immortal World, which that river was a portal to."

"A portal to another world?" I questioned, letting out a stiff chuckle. "Just when you though you've heard it all…"

Sora snickered once and continued, "Where the Minusions' hideout was… you guys were bordering the two worlds, so you were wedged right on the edge of the fifth-dimensional barrier. Because the Dark River portal's strength is influenced by the moon and there's only a crescent moon out tonight, the barrier was stronger and resisted you guys when you entered it. That's why you felt so weighed down on. Being in the Immortal World forces out Netherworld-origin transformations, particularly at night, so Mutt and Shane were especially affected because even though they're Star Wolves rather than true werewolves, the Immortal World still tried to force out their inner energy."

"Huh… So why didn't the barrier affect the Minusions?"

"They're self-created beings. The barrier affects the passer's energy signature and life force, and self-created beings don't have a lot of either."

"Oh…" When I thought all this over, it explained pretty much everything I didn't already have a theory about. So there were just a few more questions.

"Who do you guys think started the fire?"

"I wish I knew," Mutt sighed. "There were no witnesses and nothing we could use to trace back to someone. But if one thing's for sure, it was at least an ally of the Minusions, 'cause that series of events was _way_ too convenient on their part and I can't think of anyone else who would try to bump you off like that."

I nodded, agreeing with him.

"And what was up with the werewolf scent around the river?" Mutt asked Sora.

"Like I said, the Dark River's strength depends on the moon," she explained. "When there's a full moon, the barrier is at its weakest; therefore, the portal is at its strongest and creatures can pass through it from either side with ease. So there's a pack of werewolves that guards it every full moon to make sure nothing dangerous comes into this world."

"It was that scent that led your uncle and cousin to me," I told her.

"I'd believe that."

"I wouldn't have made it out of there without them."

"Yeah, I still can't believe Uncle Alexander did something that selfless! It's not like him!" Sora smiled at me. "He must really care about you."

Mutt frowned. "I don't like it."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What does _that_ mean?"

"Nat, I'm not sure _what_ it means right now. I just wanna know _why_ he's trying to get close to you."

"Does there have to be any other reason besides wanting to be nice to each other?"

He looked at the floor awkwardly and didn't give me an answer. But I didn't mind. I didn't want to talk about this now anyway. Something else was bothering me.

"Mutt?"

He turned back to me.

"Yesterday, while I was out searching through downtown, I had a little talk with Dengen. And… I think he was trying to hint to me that my family was being held in the river."

Mutt blinked a few times. "You think so?"

"I couldn't say for sure. If he was, he was being subtle about it. I didn't even see the connection until we got there."

"Wait, who?" Sora asked.

"Tybalt Dengen, the mayor of Peach Creek." A frown creased Mutt's forehead. "There's definitely something not right about that guy. I've known it from the start."

I curved the corner of my mouth in an awkward frown and nodded slowly. I could at least agree that Dengen didn't exactly give off a very pleasant aura. But did that mean he was evil? At this point, no. I couldn't jump to that conclusion yet.

So… there was just one thing left to do.

"Is your uncle here?" I asked Sora.

"Yeah," she replied. "He's right outside."

I took a deep breath, noticing that it was starting to hurt less when I did so. "I wanna talk to him."

Mutt raised his eyebrows at me.

"_Alone._"

"Nat, a-are you sure that's a good idea?" Mutt questioned.

"_Yes,_ Mutt, it'll be fine."

Sora pushed a lock of her hair away. "Well, I'm sure he won't mind. I'll go get him."

"Thanks," I breathed, managing a smile.

She smiled right back and stood up. "And I hope you don't mind, but I gotta get back to the boys, so I'll see you later. Sleep well."

"Alright. See ya."

Sora then reactivated her cloaking device- the charm of which, I happened to notice, was a cross- gave us a little wave and walked back out into the hallway to fetch her uncle.

I turned back to Mutt, whose face looked like a mix of uncertainty and discomfort.

"Mutt, it's alright," I encouraged him. When that didn't help, I added, "You might not trust him, but I _do._ He just pulled me out of a fire; I don't think he has any intentions of hurting me."

Mutt finally softened up and sighed. "Do you _really_ have to be alone with him?"

"I would very much like it."

He blew out his cheeks. "Well… I'm leaving when Dad's leaving, so I'll be out here for a few more minutes. Just call if you need me."

I didn't try to reassure him. He was only looking out for me, and I knew he meant well, even if we didn't agree.

As he stood up, Mutt brushed my hair back and kissed me on the forehead. Unfortunately, his high body temperature wasn't the most soothing thing in the world at that moment, but I did my best to hide my pain. Then he stuck his hands in his pockets and silently treaded over to the door.

Just as he reached it, the door swung open, revealing Dr. Hayashi. For a second, he and Mutt mirrored each other's shocked expressions. This continued into their mutual scowl as they slowly passed one another, as if they were sending some silent warning to the other. Mutt then stormed into the hallway and Dr. Hayashi closed the door behind him.

With that done and over with, he stood there and looked at me blankly. Like Sora, he too was wearing a cloaking device, which gave him darker skin, round ears, and dark silver eyes. They were replaced with his vampire features when he removed the clip on his tie. Then, for the longest time, he simply fingered the clip and stared at me.

Finally, I decided to speak up. "Hey."

"Hey," he mumbled back.

Dr. Hayashi walked over to me and sat down next to the bed, slipping the tie clip into his jacket pocket. I caught a quick glimpse of it and asked, "Is that a cardinal?"

"Yeah…" he chuckled. "It's a… um… an inside joke."

I smiled and nodded. Then we both fell silent again.

"Thanks…" I choked up, "for, uh… saving me."

He leaned back and looked away from me. "You're welcome."

His attitude was quickly depressing me for some reason. I didn't understand why he seemed so down. But just before I could ask him what was up, he beat me to the punch: "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I sighed. "You?"

Dr. Hayashi shrugged. "I'm okay."

"You don't seem like it."

He looked at me again. "I guess I'm a little better now that you're feeling well again."

A ghost of a smile worked at my face. "Were you worried?"

"Of course I was. I'd never forgive myself if you were hurt more than this."

"I'm _fine._ Believe me."

Unexpectedly, Dr. Hayashi let out a loud, exasperated sigh and flopped back in his chair.

I watched him sadly for a moment before asking that all-important question. "Why'd you do it?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you save me?"

He didn't respond right away, staring at the ceiling with a look on his face that told me he was trying to figure out what exactly to say. I gave him all the time he needed, which was only about ten seconds. Finally, he replied, "Because _you_ saved _me._"

To say that his response confused me would be an understatement. I knew we had a mutual alliance going on, but I couldn't recall any instance of me saving him. My clueless silence brought Dr. Hayashi's attention back to me, at which point I gave him the "flew over my head" sign.

"Before I met you," he explained, "I wasn't a very… composed person. Come to think of it, I probably wasn't all that nice either. The hunt had taken over my life; it was the only thing that mattered to me anymore. But I always felt lost, like there was something missing from my life and I was just too blind to see it. Then… when I walked away from a hunt empty-handed for the first time, I realized that what I was missing was something that you had."

He smiled at me. "And though I haven't exactly figured out what it is I see in you, I _do_ know that I feel better with you around. You make me a better person. Because of this, I feel slightly responsible for you. I want to help you as much as you've helped me in this week alone."

I smiled back at him. "Well, you definitely have."

His smile vanished. "I just wish I could've done something differently."

Mine went away too. "You mean with your life or in the forest fire?"

"The fi- Well, both… Um…" He awkwardly scratched his head. "I'm still trying to sort out my life, yes, but I was talking about the fire. Maybe… Maybe if I had acted faster or… hadn't left you behind like that-"

"You were carrying my dad with you," I cut in. "You were doing what you were supposed to do. My family's fine, you guys are fine, we all made it out. That's what's important. You did everything you could, and I couldn't have made it out of there without your help."

"You're in here because of me."

"I'm _alive_ because of you." I slowly shook my head. "It's not your fault I got trapped back there, so don't blame yourself for it. All that matters to me is that… you ran back in there, putting your own life at risk, just to pull me out." I smiled again. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

For one moment of touching silence, Dr. Hayashi stared at me with a mixture of shock and gratefulness, touched by my words. As his smile resurfaced, I caught a glimmer in his eyes, the closest thing to tears his red eyes could work up. "You mean it?"

"Of course I do. So relax. I'll be out of here tomorrow and everything will go back to n- well, the way it was before."

He laughed once, obviously agreeing that "normal" wasn't the right word to describe our lives. Then we exchanged another moment of silence, just smiling at each other.

Yes. We were definitely helping each other.

Maybe…

"So…?" I asked. "Friends?"

He nodded and placed a hand on my arm, just above my fractured wrist. "Friends."

His cold hand on my burning body was possibly the most relaxing thing I had felt in a long time, the comforting touch forcing a content sigh out of me.

"Hot?" Dr. Hayashi asked.

"Burning up."

Catching on, he stood up and placed his other hand on my forehead, soothing me further. As relaxing as it was, the sudden change in temperature made me feel a little woozy, which must have shown since Dr. Hayashi asked me, "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, just a bit dizzy. I think some rest would help. That and…" I ran my dry tongue over the roof of my mouth. "And some water. I'm pretty thirsty."

"Want me to see if I can get you some?"

"That would be great."

He pulled his hands away, pulled out his cardinal tie clip and dragged a trash can next to my bed, prompting me to ask, "What's that for?"

"You look like you're going to vomit."

"Do I really?"

"Yes."

In all honesty, I didn't feel _that_ sick. Heck, that brief wave of nausea was already starting to pass, replaced with drowsiness. So I managed to make a joke about it. "Yeah, who knows? I'll start puking, my fingernails and teeth will come off, and by the time they take this cast off of me, I'll have an alien arm."

Dr. Hayashi laughed along with me, but his awkward smile told me he didn't get it.

"Um, sorry."

"I-It's okay," he insisted. "I'll just go find Dr. Kanker."

As he headed towards the door, I called over to him, "Hey… thanks for looking out for me."

He hooked his clip on, took on a human appearance, looked over his shoulder and smiled warmly. "You're welcome." Then he opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

I let myself relax a little bit, feeling the weight of my heavy eyelids. This had to be the craziest week of my life. Meeting the Hayashis and the Mitchell twins, my transformation into a hybrid and back, the Minusions kidnapping my family, the forest fire, and this unexpected friendship with Dr. Hayashi. It was a wonder I was still breathing, albeit with some medical assistance.

But, with all due respect, I couldn't bring myself to regret any of the transactions that brought me to where I was at that moment. My time as a vampire-werewolf hybrid was another matter, one that I didn't feel like addressing on my hospital bed. It was the bonds that were not only made, but strengthened in this week alone that stood out in my mind. Finally, I had managed to bring out some inner strength in Shane; his actions in Lemon Brook were enough to prove that. Sora, Chris and Cole had already made their mark as loyal allies and unwavering friends. Oliver… I wanted to believe he was at least warming up to me. It was so hard to tell with him. Still, I was thankful for his contributions; after all, Oliver was the one who led me to Sora, so he clearly had good (though perhaps a bit misguided) intentions.

And, of course, the transition in Dr. Hayashi's attitude towards me was both comforting and baffling. Even if I didn't understand the sudden mutual trust we were forming, I was pretty sure he didn't either. All I knew was what he told me himself: we were there to help each other. He was there to protect me, to stand by me, to fight for whatever cause I faced, and I was there to guide him, to help shine some light on the path of his life. And I was just fine with that. If he accepted, he would make a great addition to Team Popcorn.

So the only problem was Mutt. If anything, I felt as though the events of this week had started to build somewhat of a wall between us. Sure, we apologized to each other, but that still didn't change the emotionally torn feeling in my chest. It was easy to see that cooperation between him and the vampires- or at least two out of three of them- wasn't going to click right away. He couldn't trust him like I did. I understood that, but that didn't mean I knew how to fix it.

A powerful yawn interrupted my train of thought, one that, surprisingly, didn't hurt my stiff lungs in the slightest.

_Well… _I told myself, _I guess I'll just have to pray about it. I'm sure things will sort out between my teammates._

I decided to let my exhaustion get the better of me and closed my eyes. I've never been one to fall asleep in just a few minutes, so I would probably still be partially awake by the time someone returned with the water I requested. If not, they could always wake me up and… well, at least it was there.

I smiled a little and turned off my thoughts, simply taking comfort in the fact that it was all over…

…even though part of me knew this was a false hope.

* * *

><p>As anyone would guess, it wasn't that easy.<p>

Dr. Hayashi strolled down the hall towards where he knew Henry was. He didn't have a whole lot on his mind other than, of course, getting me some water, but he was at least relieved that he was already starting to feel better about his life. Heck, he was in a _hospital_ disguised as a human. A week ago, he'd hardly consider stepping foot into a human organization. His attitude overhaul was starting to become a big relief as the pieces of what his life was missing started to come together.

Though, he couldn't help but scowl a bit when he figured out that Mutt and his father were talking. An encounter with Mutt was just about the last thing Dr. Hayashi wanted.

"Mutt, I understand what you're saying, but you have to give him some credit. He just saved her life."

"I know, Dad, don't remind me. It's just… I don't see how she expects me to trust him."

"I don't think it's fair to base your opinion of him off of your first impression. People can change."

Dr. Hayashi approached them, his presence immediately silencing the father and son. He cleared his throat once and said to Henry, "Natalie would like some water."

"Oh, okay. Thank you," Henry replied. He then turned to Mutt and said, "I'll take care of that, then I'll clock out and we can go home."

Mutt nodded and watched his father leave. His face hardened as Dr. Hayashi started to turn away, stopping him with a low, dark call of, "Can we talk?"

Dr. Hayashi stopped with his back to Mutt. After five seconds, he looked over his shoulder and responded with an equally dark tone, "About what?"

"You know darn well." Mutt pointed his thumb behind him, towards the hallway that led to the elevators. "Let's take this outside."

"Yes… let's."

So the vampire and Star Wolf treaded down the mostly-empty hall, not looking at each other as their heavy, stomping footsteps echoed off the sterile walls. Mutt depressed the down button next to the elevators and they both stood still, waiting for it to arrive. It was almost comical how identical their stiff, angry, crossed-armed stances were.

With a ding, the elevator to Mutt's left slid open and the two stormed inside. Mutt pushed the first floor button and the doors closed. They stared at the metal doors as they descended, their expressions something reminiscent of a movie poster for _the Matrix._ Once on the ground floor, Mutt led Dr. Hayashi to a door that took them behind the hospital.

No one was around to hear them. My room's window was a story above them.

"To answer your question," Dr. Hayashi began, "I'm pretty sure she _doesn't_ expect you to trust me. I think it's easy to tell that you're not going to easily put our first encounter aside."

Mutt stopped walking when he was about fifteen feet away from Dr. Hayashi, turned away from him with his fists tightly balled. "Perhaps… but I have my reasons."

"And what are they exactly?" Dr. Hayashi asked skeptically.

After taking a deep breath, Mutt answered, "I love Natalie, and I respect everything she's doing. But what she doesn't understand is that despite how she feels about all of us, there's no way to make this work. You and I… we can't logically be allies."

"Says _who?_"

"Says nature! If Nat wants us to join up… well, that's like asking a lion to make amends with an antelope!"

Dr. Hayashi circled around him. "And just which one of us are you implying is the lion and which one the antelope?"

"I think you already know that." Mutt kept turning to avoid Dr. Hayashi's glare. "I wasn't the one that went looking for trouble Monday night. _You_ came to _me._ _You_ were the threat. And the way I see it, you still are."

"I've changed since that night."

"No you haven't." Mutt finally looked at him. "So you've suddenly decided to show a little sympathy. Big whoop. Anyone can play the nice guy card, especially for someone like Nat. That doesn't change the fact that you're still a heartless, bloodsucking parasite."

There was that word. "Heartless." Dr. Hayashi tried not to cringe at Mutt's use of the word he wanted to never be identified with and instead pulled out what would hopefully be his trump card. "I would think you'd be a little more grateful, considering I just saved your girlfriend's life."

"Okay yeah, maybe, but still… why'd you do it?"

"Because I wanted to."

"What, you think that a few good acts will redeem you?"

"_No,_ I just…!" Dr. Hayashi froze and half-clenched his hands, struggling to find the right retort for this little punk. "_Why,_ Kanker? Why can't you just listen to Natalie and at least _try_ to forgive me?!"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because of _this!_" Mutt stormed up to Dr. Hayashi and yanked the cardinal pin off of his tie, deactivating the cloaking device and revealing the vampire's true appearance.

"You're fooling yourself," Mutt snarled. "You say you've changed… but you _can't._ You can't change the killer you've built yourself up to become. You can't change the fact that you've taken far more lives than you've saved."

He grabbed Dr. Hayashi by the collar and pressed the back of his hand up against the vampire's nose.

"You can't change the _bloodlust…_ embedded in your being."

Dr. Hayashi shivered as the Star Wolf's overpowering scent completely clouded his sinuses. To any other vampire, this would be a disgusting ordeal, the stench reminiscent of wet dog and contaminated sludge repelling them beyond compare. But to him, it was the worst temptation ever conceived. The wolf scent he had come to recognize so clearly brought out his habitual hunter instinct, which heightened the burning in his throat. Mutt's heartbeat and the warm flow of blood in the veins beneath his hand intensified his thirst. And even though Mutt was in human form, his blood called out to Dr. Hayashi like the drug to an addict.

He gripped his shaking hands, doing his best to resist as Mutt pressed his hand harder against Dr. Hayashi's face. Their differing body temperatures sent sparks through the vampire's nerves. Sparks… begging for fuel to make them a fire. He closed his eyes and tried to fight this lust, but his resistance faltered as his gritted teeth slowly forced themselves open. His tongue arched with anticipation. His fangs were just an inch away from their target…

"_NO!_"

Finally finding the will to fight, Dr. Hayashi pulled himself away and pushed Mutt back a few steps. Mutt looked at him with what could've been shock or relief from not being bitten. After all, even if he was trying to prove a point, Mutt could've very easily died from that stupid move.

Dr. Hayashi turned away, grabbed his chest and took a few breaths of fresh air, the wolf scent becoming less prominent from his slight distance and his bloodlust quelling. Once he deemed himself calm enough, he looked at Mutt again; his eyes were still dark with thirst, but his face showed no sign of a threat.

"I don't care what you think," he growled. "I know I can't change what I am… but I can at least try to change _who_ I am."

Mutt stared in slight disbelief as Dr. Hayashi turned and started to walk away. "Is _that_ it?" he asked. "You're just trying to be a better person? How exactly does that work out when you have to kill someone just to feed yourself?"

"Did I _not just say…?!_" Dr. Hayashi stopped his shout halfway, deciding there was no point in trying to debate with Mutt.

"I know you still want my blood!" Mutt continued to call to him. "What's more important, your need to drink my blood or Nat's trust in you?"

He stopped. "Listen to me… I'm not going to hurt you if it hurts _her_. I couldn't do that."

"So you'd be willing to push your pursuit of me aside for Nat's sake?"

"Yes."

Mutt prodded his cheek with his tongue and folded his arms. "Prove it."

"I just did."

"No, you proved that you can resist a tiny bit of temptation under ordinary circumstances. But what if it happened again? What if we were forced to confront each other head-on with me in my wolf form and Nat in the sidelines? Would it be so easy to resist _then?!_"

Dr. Hayashi over his shoulder. "Are you… threatening me?"

"Question is… are _you?_"

And that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

With his eyes blazing with rage, Dr. Hayashi whirled around and stomped his foot on the ground. If Mutt didn't know any better, he would've thought this simple act had released a crack of thunder into the night sky.

"You want me to prove myself so bad?!" Dr. Hayashi screamed. "_**FINE!**_ I'll show you what I have! You'll get what you asked for and _so much more!_"

Something about his response unnerved Mutt, snapping him out of his frustration and making him start to realize just how far over the edge he was going.

Seeing the Star Wolf's expression of developing fear brought out that wicked side Dr. Hayashi had been suppressing for days, causing an unpleasant sneer to take over his face. "I told you I wouldn't hurt you if it hurt Natalie… but I didn't say anything about someone else hurting you and me picking up the pieces."

He started to back away in a typical villainous manner. "I'm warning you: what I'm about to do could hurt all of us. You, me… and _especially_ Natalie. But just know that you've brought this upon yourself."

Mutt watched as Dr. Hayashi turned and sprinted away from the hospital, disappearing into the cityscape. He instantly began chastising himself, knowing that no matter what that crazy vampire was talking about, he was as good as dead.

_Natalie… I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking._

* * *

><p>Dr. Hayashi kept running until he was far from the city, searching all around for the perfect place to initiate his plan. All the while, he was pretty upset with himself too. Was this an insane plan? Beyond a shadow of a doubt, yes it was. There was little to gain and a lot to lose, but <em>God,<em> he wanted that Star Wolf out of his life. Even if Mutt's loss would be a hefty blow to me, Dr. Hayashi just didn't want to go through with whatever my relationship with both of them would bring forth.

So, in order to keep me from turning away from Dr. Hayashi, he'd have someone else wipe Mutt out. Underhanded as it was, the hunter in him saw it as his only option.

But there was another purpose for this plan. He just knew it, and it definitely had something to do with me. It was odd, but… it felt like some other, outside force was compelling him to do this, as if this was part of some great, thought-out, scripted plan. Maybe…

Maybe no one would have to die.

He came to a stop in an open field, staring around at the grassy plain with uncertainty. If he was going to do this, he had to do it here.

With a shaky hand, he reached into his coat and pulled out a little glass bottle of werewolf blood, staring at it for a long time.

Then, even to his surprise, Dr. Hayashi closed his eyes and prayed.

"God… forgive me for what I'm about to do. I never wanted any of this to turn into an act of vengeance. I know that this will put so many lives on the line, but… I also know that no matter what, You have some kind of plan, even if I don't know what it is yet. So please, let what happens happen. If Mutt dies, then I'll forever carry his death in my subconscious. If not, then please give me the wisdom to forgive him. And above all else… keep Natalie strong. Carry her through this ordeal, and no matter what happens, just _please_ don't let any of it tear her away from me. Because if I do know one thing… it's that You brought me to her so she could bring me to You."

He removed the stopper on the bottle and whispered, "Amen."

Then Dr. Hayashi gently tipped the bottle and let the blood drip out. As it splattered into the grass, he turned slowly, allowing the blood to stain a red circle around him. When he ran out, he put the bottle away, closed his eyes and whispered the words he had rehearsed very few times before…

"_**A venit timpul.**_"

Despite being miles away, Mutt heard these words as plainly as he would if they were spoken right next to him. It was in a language he had never heard and yet somehow he fully understood; as the words were subliminally planted into his head, some strange force inside him translated the words into plain English. Shane heard it too. As did Oliver and Sora, though they were able to clearly recognize the language as Romanian, the universal language of all Nether-based creatures.

"_It's time._"

"_**Antic dușmani, vin**__**împreună.**_"

"_Ancient enemies, come together._"

"_**Gheară și dinte, sânge și**__**venin**__**.**_"

"_Claw and fang, blood and venom._"

"_**Afișare nici milă. Dovedeste**__**-vă **__**să fie**__**o forță mai mare**__**.**_"

"_Show no mercy__. __Prove__yourself to be__a greater force__._"

"_**Nu lasă nici o**__**fiară**__**în viață**__**.**_"

"_Leave no beast alive._"

"_**Să**__**speciile**__**dominante**__**prevalează...**_"

"_Let the dominant species prevail…_"

"…_**în**__**acest...**_"

"…_in this…_"

"…_**S**__**â**__**nge de R**__**â**__**zboi!**_"

"…_BLOOD WAR!_"

This time, thunder really did crack. A strong gust of wind burst forth, dramatically blowing Dr. Hayashi's hair and jacket back, sending his call to every vampire and werewolf the wind could touch. He looked at the sky, sadness gleaming in his dark red eyes.

Outside the hospital, Oliver looked out at the horizon, panic quickly setting in.

In her apartent, Sora froze where she stood, her breaths short and choppy.

In his bedroom, Shane gripped the windowsil, staring down at something on his desk.

In his father's truck, Mutt grabbed his chest, a guilty tear slipping down his face.

And in my hospital room, my eyes shot open and I stared wide-eyed at the ceiling. Even if I couldn't hear the call, I still felt the weight of it, and I knew that whatever was about to happen, suffering would be greatly involved.

* * *

><p><em>I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.<em>

_-John 16:33 NLT_


End file.
